A Series of Unfortunate Events One Shots
by Cheryblosom-chan
Summary: Dunclet, Kladora, and Figley! Trying my hand at making some one shots. Most of which might be based off my How It Should Have Been story, though it's not necessary that you read it. Any amount of characters are able to be included. Swearing will be included. Uses details from the books and the tv show.
1. The Violin Recital

**Based on a scene from the books that was left out of the show, one of my favorites. Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"That Coach Genghis is strange, isn't he," Duncan said as we walked to the auditorium.

"That's because he's Count Olaf in disguise," I replied quietly.

"I knew you recognized him," Klaus spoke up.

"Why didn't you guys tell Vice Principal Nero? Surely he could have done something," Isadora asked.

"Nada," Sunny replied, I was quick to translate her meaning, "It wouldn't have worked; nobody ever believes us."

"We believe you."

We all froze momentarily. I stared at the two triplets in shock. Duncan had a sincere smile on his face and warmth in his amazing green eyes. Isadora smiled warmly. I looked at Klaus and Sunny briefly. Sunny was smiling. Klaus was staring at Isadora as if he had been looking at an angel. I couldn't help thinking that I was looking at Duncan the same way.

"You really believe us," Klaus asked softly.

"Of course we do," Isadora answered, "And we'll help you guys get through this."

"But for now we should get to the recital," Duncan added.

We all continued into the auditorium and made sure to pick seats far in the back so no one would see us talking. I noticed Olaf, in his ridiculous gym teacher disguise, taking a seat at the front of the stage. I amused myself for a moment wondering if he actually meant to listen to Vice Principal Nero's awful violin skills. I sat next to Duncan, with Sunny on my lap, Klaus sat beside me with Isadora on his other side. The lights in the room turned off as Nero stepped out on the stage with a spotlight shining on him. Everyone clapped begrudgingly as he bowed and explained what he would be performing tonight. Once he started his pathetic attempt at playing the violin, we knew it was a good time to talk about the situation.

"See if you can spot any of Olaf's henchmen around," I commanded; we had already told the Quagmires about the rest of the evil theater troupe.

"I don't see anyone fitting the descriptions you gave us," Duncan said.

I sighed, "This is just great. We've had 2 weeks here without him, and now he's here, and we don't know what he might do this time-"

I was interrupted by Duncan grabbing my hand gently. He was smiling that wonderfully charming smile of his. I was thankful for the darkness as I could feel my face heat up.

"Violet, just relax," He said, "We'll figure a way out of this tomorrow."

Relax? How could I relax when my charming, and very attractive, journalist friend was holding my hand? Relaxing was rather difficult when I was around Duncan. He made me feel safe, but he also made me nervous. I've never met such a kind, handsome, boy before. Why did he have to be so perfect?

Despite this I felt myself breathing easier at his suggestion. We noticed Klaus and Isadora were engaged in their own soft conversation. I smirked a bit at the way they looked at each other; they were so obviously love struck since the moment they met. Isadora had confessed her adorable crush on my brother to me in private. Lately Duncan and I had been tempted to simply shove them into the Quagmires' broom closet and not let them out until they admit their feelings. I hadn't told her about my feelings for Duncan, as I wasn't ready to do so yet, but I'm sure I wasn't subtle.

Duncan leaned over to me, "I've been to some terrible concerts in my day, but this has to be the worst."

I smiled, "Tell me about them."

And he did exactly that. The violin recital was 6 hours long, and Duncan spent the entire time holding my hand and telling me stories about terrible concerts he's been forced to go to, along with a few stories about various other things. I had to cover my mouth to contain my laughter at a particularly funny story about the time his brother Quigley had convinced him to take their father's Ferrari for a joy ride around town. They apparently ended up crashing it in a ditch, and got put in the hospital with one broken arm each. He said they were grounded for a year after that.

After the first couple stories I completely forgot about Olaf. My mind was filled with thoughts of sweet, caring, Duncan Quagmire. I squeezed his hand gently. He glanced at our entwined hands and looked up to look into my eyes. His smile seemed to have turned shy after noticing that he was still holding my hand. He ran a hand through his black hair nervously and attempted to let go of my hand. I gripped his tighter in response.

"I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I," He whispered.

"Not at all," I smiled, "You want to hear some of my stories?"

He grinned, "Absolutely."

I started telling him any interesting story I could remember. He particularly liked the one about how my mother would threaten to sing my least favorite song in the world if I didn't clean my room. Sunny had managed to fall asleep on my lap while chewing on an armrest. Every now and then we would hear Klaus and Isadora laugh during their conversation. Duncan and I smirked when we noticed they too were holding hands. We quietly agreed to confront them about it later.

When the recital finally ended, the Quagmires walked us back to our shack. Duncan and I were still holding hands as I carried Sunny with my other arm. Klaus and Isadora walked ahead of us, their hands still entwined as well. Upon reaching the shack I set Sunny on her hay bale. Klaus and I stayed outside the door to say good night; the moon was already out.

I hugged Duncan, and whispered so only he could hear, "Thank you, Duncan, for everything."

"You're welcome, Violet," He replied softly.

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He stared at me stunned for a few moments before giving a dopey grin, his cute face turning red. Klaus and Isadora noticed what had happened. Isadora was smirking, and Klaus looked amused.

"So, you two are..." Isadora said, leaving the question open for us to finish.

I felt my face heat up as Duncan wrapped his arm around me, "Nothing official yet Izzie, don't get excited now."

"Perhaps you two should put a label on your relationship first," I replied with my own smirk.

Duncan and I snickered as their faces gained color instantly and they began stammering about how they weren't together.

"Right," Duncan said, rolling his eyes, "Nothing going on between you two. That's why you're still holding hands."

I think that pushed Klaus too far, he looked faint with embarrassment as he released Isadora's hand and apologized for not realizing sooner. The poet smiled shyly at him and told him she wasn't offended. Even if Isadora hadn't told me about her crush, I would still be able to see it a mile away.

Duncan and Isadora said good night and walked off to their broom closet. Klaus and I collapsed on our hay bales in the shack.

He turned to me, "You're really going to start something with Duncan after Olaf found us?"

"I know it's risky, but Duncan and Isadora are going to help us. Besides you're head over heels for her and you're telling me I can't date?"

He took off his glasses and covered his face with his hands, "Shut. Up."

I chuckled softly, "You know, you should make a move while you still can."

"And if she rejects me?"

"She won't," I rolled over into a comfortable position and shut my eyes, "But if it'll help you along, Isadora told me she thinks you're cute."

I didn't repeat the whole sentence though. Isadora's exact words were: _"He's cute, very cute, I just can't, ugh I'm sorry for rambling, Violet! I had to tell someone! Please don't say anything! And don't tell Duncan either, he's too protective and I don't want him to threaten Klaus."_

Isadora would be furious at me for breaking my promise to her; if she finds out of course. Klaus didn't respond. I could tell he wasn't asleep, but he appeared to be locked in a stunned silence by this information. After a while, I felt sleep start to overtake me. We didn't know what tomorrow would bring. We had no idea what Count Olaf was planning for us. But my siblings and I knew one thing for sure: we would never let him hurt Duncan and Isadora.

 **~The End**

 **First of many one shots. I always loved the recital scene in the book. Where Duncan just holds Violet's hand the whole time to comfort her about Olaf showing up and he just calmly tells her about terrible concerts he's been forced to go to. It really sealed the deal for me on shipping them. Included a bit of Kladora here because why not, right?**


	2. I Think I Broke Our Child

**Begin!**

 **Universe*: This will from now on be the symbol to show which one shots are actually in my universe. Very few people read these top descriptions anyway, but I've gotten so much confusion on this topic that I need to address and clearly mark them. Hopefully, you won't be confused anymore with this system!**

 **Note: Based off ending details from my story How It Should Have Been. It's not necessary that you read it.**

 **~Duncan's POV**

"Daddy," I heard a sweet little voice call from the entrance to my office.

I smiled and looked up from my stack of papers to see my darling little 6 year old daughter Nikki grinning up at me. Violet and I couldn't believe how perfect she had turned out. Nikki Karen Quagmire was everything my wife and I had hoped she would be. She had inherited my eyes, but the rest of her features appeared to be a mixture between us. We both had black hair though so she got that too. Nikki liked to have her hair long just like her mother, it went down her back gracefully, and she had inherited Violet's habit of tying her hair back with a ribbon to think.

"Come on in Nik," I replied as I set aside my work.

She ran up to my desk and climbed onto my lap, "I painted a picture for you! It just finished drying."

She held up a piece of paper and set it on my desk neatly. Nikki had been slowly developing her skills as an artist ever since her finger painting days as a toddler. She took her black ribbon out of her hair as she waited eagerly for my opinion on her latest masterpiece.

"It looks great Nik," I said smiling, "What's it supposed to be?"

"It's a picture of me, Lizzie, and Sam," She pointed to each person in the picture.

I nodded, "Oh, I see it now."

Elizabeth Baudelaire was Klaus and Isadora's daughter; Sam Quagmire, or Samuel as he was actually named, was Quigley and Fiona's son. The Baudelaire/Quagmire family was close as close could be since we all grew up. Our three houses were all situated together on the same land, making us neighbors. Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam treated each other like siblings rather than cousins. Having them see each other all the time due to our living status helped a lot in keeping them close.

"When is mommy coming home? I want to show it to her too."

"She said she'd be home later," I answered, "Why? Aren't I good enough?"

Nikki giggled, "You're perfect daddy! I just wanted to know. She looked worried when she left."

Violet had to rush downtown to our family run printing house to fix an emergency with the printing press she had built for me. I had chosen to work on my news reports from home today so it was just me and Nikki. Klaus and Isadora were out with Lizzie for lunch. And Quigley and Fiona had taken Sam to visit his uncle Fernald on the Queequeg. My thoughts were interrupted as the phone rang.

I picked it up, "Hello... Yes love we're here."

"Is it mommy? Can I talk to her," Nikki pleaded.

I put it on speaker phone, "Hey sweetheart, how's my girl doing?"

"I'm alright mommy! I just finished painting another picture!"

"Is the printer fixed, love," I asked worriedly; Violet had built that thing for me after inheriting her family fortune, I would hate to see it damaged beyond repair.

We heard her sigh, "It's fine now, but I had to fire someone for mishandling it. I'll be here a bit longer to sort this mess out. Nikki, you'd better behave for your father. And I want to see that picture when I get home."

"I will!"

"Violet, relax," I chuckled, "You have nothing to worry about. Have some faith in your husband!"

"I have faith in you, Duncan," She laughed, "But a mother's worry never rests. I'll be home later, bye honey, bye Nik!"

"Bye mommy!"

I hung up the phone and patted Nikki's head, "Guess it's just you and me for a while longer."

She got up off my lap, "Ok daddy; when are Uncle Klaus and Auntie Isadora coming home? Lizzie and I wanted to play today."

"They'll probably be home after lunch," I replied as I stood and started putting away the files I was working on.

I continued putting away files as I heard her ask another question, "Daddy, can I have some of your tea?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Nikki took a big gulp from my cup of tea and smiled, "Wow this is really good! I don't think I've ever had this kind before."

After about a minute I heard something that I always hated to hear come from my little girl, "Uh, daddy... I don't feel so good."

I quickly turned around to see Nikki had red splotches all over her face and arms and was now scratching them a bit. I'd never seen this happen before!

"Nikki, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't know! I just took a drink some of your tea and then I turned all red and itchy!"

Oh, no, Violet will be furious when she gets home! I broke our child; she's going to kill me! I grabbed Nikki's arm and dragged her to the bathroom down the hall. I lifted her shirt a bit to look her over, and saw that the red spots had also appeared on her stomach, meaning they were most likely on the rest of her as well. My fatherly instincts had reached full on panic mode. I didn't know what to do in this situation, Violet was usually the one who handled illnesses, and I could tell she wasn't faking it.

"Should we call mommy?"

"Uh, no Nik, let's not worry your mother about this. I'm sure we can figure it out. Just give me a minute to think."

I can't call Violet, she'd be livid if she knew I broke our girl. I can't call Sunny because she's still in class at Whitmore Academy; besides even if she wasn't it'd take her an hour to get to the estate by taxi and Violet would most likely be home by then. I can't call Klaus or Isadora because they'd probably tell me to call Violet. And I definitely can't call Quigley or Fiona because they're busy too. Damn. What did I do to deserve this? I glanced down at my little daughter as she looked up at me with a fearful gaze. I _hated_ seeing her in any kind of pain. My heart was clenched up with worry. Last year, Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam had all gotten the chickenpox together, and boy it was a nightmare watching the kids suffer like that. This couldn't be the same thing though; you should only get chicken pox once as far as I know. I opened our medicine cabinet and searched for anything that might be useful in aiding this predicament.

I suppose I could just rush her to the hospital, but that would just worry Violet more if she came home to find us gone without explanation. I searched the cabinet top to bottom. Eventually I found some calamine lotion; I remembered this being very useful when the kids had chicken pox. I started to apply it to her arm to see if it helped at all.

"I don't feel any different," Nikki said with a frown, "Are you sure we shouldn't call mommy?"

"I'm sure Nik. We can find a way around this."

I let her wipe the lotion off her arm with a rag and sighed as I put a hand to my forehead trying to think of a solution to our problem.

 _"Ok let's think. First what is the actual problem?"_

My observational, journalist, instincts kicked in as I looked her over once more. My brain immediately snapped to a theory: hives. Yeah that's the problem! She had broken out in hives. Now how do I cure hives within a few minutes before-?

"Hey, I'm home!"

Shit. Nikki perked up at the sound of Violet's voice from the living room and looked at me.

"What now," She whispered, "Mommy won't be happy to see me like this."

"Uh..."

"Duncan? Nikki?"

I glanced at the hall worriedly. Finally after several moments I decided to just come clean. I couldn't hide it forever after all. I grabbed Nikki's arm and pulled her along behind me as we walked into the living room. Violet smiled at me, which only made me feel worse for what I had to do.

"Hey, there you are," She said giving me a quick kiss, "Don't worry about the printing press; Melissa offered to take over until we find a new employee. You just can't find good help these days."

I didn't respond as I kept Nikki firmly hidden behind me. Violet's gaze turned curious as she stared at me.

"Duncan, is something wrong?"

I sighed; it was now or never, "Violet... I have some bad news... I think I broke our child."

"You what," Violet asked looking immensely confused.

I let Nikki step out from behind me and Violet stared down at her in shock.

"Mommy, something happened and daddy tried to fix it, but I think it got worse," Nikki said guiltily; she seemed to think it was her fault somehow.

I watched my wife's reaction as I waited for her to start ranting. What I hadn't expected though was for Violet Quagmire to start laughing at the sight of our little girl covered in hives.

"Duncan, you didn't 'break' Nikki," Violet replied between giggles, "She just has hives."

"How can you laugh at this," I asked.

Violet wiped a few tears from her eyes, "She just needs a baking soda bath and everything will be fine."

"A baking soda bath...?"

"How did this happen, Nik?"

"I took a drink of daddy's tea," Nikki replied.

Violet sent me to get my cup from my office. She smirked as she looked at the liquid inside.

"Yep, just as I thought," My wife said after a moment, "Looks like our daughter inherited my peppermint allergy."

I felt like punching myself. Of course, Violet and her siblings were allergic to peppermints so when I let our daughter drink my mint tea she got the effects too. Violet went to the kitchen and grabbed some baking soda before pulling Nikki along with her to the bathroom to cure her. And here I thought I had just broken our daughter... Maybe I should stop drinking mint tea…

"Klaus, I think I broke our daughter! Her tongue is swollen up to where I can't understand a word she says!"

 **~The End**

 **A simple story about Duncan as a doting daddy to his little girl; this is how I always pictured him acting as a parent.**


	3. Halloween

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Sunny, are we there yet?"

"Bea, I told you it's long drive! Stop complaining!"

Beatrice groaned, "It feels like we've been sitting in the car for hours!"

Sunny rolled her eyes at her. Sunny Baudelaire and Beatrice Snicket were driving to the Baudelaire/Quagmire estate for Halloween. The two were 15 and 14 respectively, and Sunny had recently obtained her driver's license. The two teens were planning to take Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam trick-or-treating while their parents went out for dinner and a movie. Sunny and Beatrice were best friends ever since the two had started officially attending Whitmore Academy together in their preschool days.

The two had even decided to dress up for the occasion. Sunny was dressed as a vampire, at her nephew Sam's suggestion, wearing a black dress and cloak and her face painted pale white with black lipstick and heavy eye-shadow. She had recently started dying her blonde hair black out of personal preference. Sunny's sharp teeth had grown in permanently as a grown up, and her nieces and nephew thought it made her look like a vampire. She had taken it as a compliment. Beatrice was dressed as a female Robin Hood, wearing a green, hooded top and brown vest with a short green skirt and green leggings and black boots. She had even brought a toy bow and arrow set for authenticity. The two were more than happy to provide the kids with a fun night, despite being too old for trick-or-treating themselves.

Sunny pulled the car into the driveway of the large estate in the middle of the three houses, "We're here; you can stop whining now."

Beatrice smiled, "Finally!"

The two got out of the car and went up to the middle house on the lot where they had been told to meet. Before Sunny could knock on the door it flung open to reveal a little girl with black hair, wide brown eyes, and dark blue-rimmed glasses smiling brightly up at them. She looked nearly identical to Klaus with the exception of her hair and eye colors that she got from Isadora.

"Aunt Sunny, you're finally here!"

"Hello, Lizzie," Sunny bent down to hug her niece.

"What am I, chopped liver? Give your Auntie Beatrice a hug too kid!"

"Oh sorry, Beatrice," the small girl gave her a hug.

Lizzie led them to the living room where everyone was waiting. Nikki and Sam excitedly ran up to hug the two teens and show off their costumes.

"What are you guys supposed to be," Sunny asked.

"I'm Wednesday Addams," Nikki replied; she was wearing an old-fashioned black dress with her black hair braided neatly in two long ponytails over her shoulders and wearing a modest amount of Gothic make up for her costume.

"I'm a witch," Lizzie said; she couldn't have been mistaken for anything else because of her Ravenclaw Hogwarts robes, pointy hat, and a little plastic wand in her hand.

"And I'm a pirate," Sam said with a big grin, "Just like my grandfather Captain Widdershins!" He was of course wearing a pirate costume with a hat over his messy hair and a plastic sword attached to his belt.

"For the last time, Sam," Fiona added rolling her eyes and patting her son's head, "Your grandfather is not a pirate."

Sam was a more complete mixture between his parents. Quigley and Fiona both had black hair and he had inherited this, but his facial features looked more like his father; his skin tone was mixed between his pale father and his darker skinned mother. He hadn't inherited his mother's poor eyesight but he did get his father's green eyes.

"Are you a vampire, Aunt Sunny," Sam asked.

Sunny twirled her cloak around her with a playful grin, "That's right."

"I'm Robin Hood," Beatrice said smiling and putting down her green hood.

"Cool!"

Sunny walked over to Violet and Klaus and gave them both quick hugs. With her still in school and them all grown up with families and jobs, she didn't get to see her siblings as often anymore. Everyone gave Beatrice a hug as well. They considered her a part of the family after how Kit had helped them all be together years ago. They unfortunately had to cease contact with Dewey and Kit after settling into adulthood to keep their families safe from V.F.D. enemies, but Beatrice was not a volunteer so she was able to stay in their lives. Her friendship with Sunny had made that possible.

"Now, Sam, if you go around stabbing people with that sword you'll get in big trouble," Quigley said, "You already tried to cut me down today. We don't want you doing it to anyone else."

Sam grinned sheepishly, "Sorry dad..."

"Nikki, Lizzie, no peppermint for either of you, understand," Violet warned, "And Sam don't try to trick your cousins into eating something with mint in it."

"Yes Aunt Violet," Sam replied, "I'll keep all the mint for myself."

Duncan looked out the window, "The limo is here, everyone. The movie starts in less than an hour so we should get going."

"Ok Sunny, Bea, remember the kids have to be in bed by 11," Klaus said as he grabbed his and Isadora's jackets.

"And make sure they don't get hurt," Isadora said.

"Or in trouble," Fiona added giving Sam a stern look; her son had inherited his father's trouble-making tendencies and it made raising him rather difficult at times.

Sunny rolled her eyes, "You don't have to worry; they'll be with me!"

Violet and Klaus smirked, "That's what we're worried about."

The parents each gave their children a hug before the adults left for their triple date night. The kids got their candy buckets ready and Sunny and Beatrice took them out for their night of candy gathering. The Baudelaire/Quagmire estate was located just outside the city in the wealthy neighborhood that the Baudelaire mansion had once inhabited meaning there were plenty of other mansions and houses to get candy from. Sunny and Beatrice talked casually as the kids led them around; going from door to door filling their buckets with tasty treats. They were only here to supervise after all. All around the street were many other children in their own costumes doing the same thing.

It was about an hour into their Halloween night before the five of them reached a particularly extravagant mansion far down the road. Sunny couldn't place it, but she felt a bit unsettled at the sight of the house. It was as if they should avoid it. The children however seemed indifferent and eagerly ran up to the front doors. Nikki rang the doorbell and the doors opened to reveal a boy the same age as the three kids. He had neatly combed red hair and bright blue eyes. Sunny instantly regretted letting the kids go to this house.

The boy smirked smugly at the five of them, "Yes?"

Nikki glanced at her cousins worriedly; she seemed to feel apprehensive about this, "We're just here for trick-or-treating."

The boy laughed, "If you think I'm giving candy to _cakesniffers_ like you, you're dead wrong."

Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam flinched at the confusing insult. Beatrice glared at the boy as Sunny clenched her fists in anger. She hadn't heard that word in years.

"What's your name, kid," Sunny asked through gritted teeth; she knew where this was going, but she wanted to be sure.

"Cameron Spats," He replied glancing up at her with his stupid smug grin, "Who's asking, cakesniffer?"

"Never mind who I am," Sunny said, "Is your mother home?"

Cameron nodded, "Yeah, she's in the living room with my dad."

 _"Wow, he has a father,"_ Sunny thought, _"Carmelita didn't seem the type. Perhaps she just got knocked up and he wanted to be there for the kid."_

"Are you going to give us candy," Lizzie asked quietly; she was the shy one around other kids their age, usually letting Nikki speak for her if she couldn't.

"I wouldn't give you candy if my life depended on it. Look at you guys and your stupid costumes."

He pointed to Nikki, "You look like you're dressed for a funeral, an ugly one too."

He pointed to Sam, "You look like a stupid pirate, and you couldn't even get a real sword."

Finally he pointed to Lizzie, "And you look like a dork with those stupid, ugly glasses."

Sunny and Beatrice stood in shock at the boy's harsh words. Lizzie started to pout as tears welled up in her eyes. Nikki and Sam glared at Cameron.

"Hey my mom wears glasses you jerk," Sam shouted, clenching his fists.

"How dare you insult Lizzie," Nikki screamed, "Her dad wears glasses and he's the smartest guy in the world!"

Cameron rolled his eyes, "Whatever, cakesniffer. Glasses are for dorks that spend too much time reading."

Lizzie whimpered softly as a few tears spilled from her eyes. She loved to read almost as much as Klaus and Isadora did. She even wanted to be a librarian when she grew up. The boy's words had stung deeply as she clutched her candy bucket to her chest trying to calm herself down. Lizzie was the emotional one. Beatrice put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Sunny felt rage build within her. She had to do something... unfortunately Nikki and Sam beat her to it.

Sunny and Beatrice watched in horror as Nikki and Sam dropped their candy buckets and proceeded to tackle the rude boy to the porch floor. They were punching him furiously and screaming about how he shouldn't have insulted their cousin. After a while it was a full on war as Cameron started fighting back. Nikki yelled out in pain when Cameron yanked her braided ponytail very hard, causing Sam to lose it and punch him as hard as he could. Cameron then knocked Sam to the floor with a very hard punch to the head. Sunny and Beatrice tried to pull Nikki and Sam away but failed every time. Eventually, the noise and screaming attracted the Spats parents to the door.

"What is going on here," Carmelita shouted; her red curly hair was longer as an adult, but other than being simply older she hadn't changed much in appearance.

"Your son was being a jerk," Beatrice replied calmly, "So they decided to teach him a lesson."

Carmelita's presumed husband was a smug looking red-haired man with brown eyes, and he seemed to be where Cameron had gotten his facial features from. The man pulled his son away from the other kids. Cameron now looked bruised in several places and one of his eyes was blackened.

Carmelita eyed Sunny for a moment, "You look familiar... and so do these kids, they look like people I knew from somewhere."

"Must be mistaken," Sunny replied bitterly; she didn't want to let her know who they were.

Nikki and Sam picked up their candy buckets and pulled Lizzie along with them as Sunny and Beatrice dragged the kids away from the house. The two teens pulled the kids aside to look over their injuries from the fight. Nikki now had bruises on her face, and Sam was nursing a bloody nose and getting a black eye.

"You guys didn't have to do that for me," Lizzie said wiping her eyes with a small smile, "They're just words."

"He insulted you," Nikki said fiercely.

"Yeah, Liz, nobody talks to you like that while I'm around," Sam added.

Beatrice handed Sam a tissue from her purse, "This is not going to be easy to explain to your parents..."

"You let them get into a fight," Violet screamed.

"We did not!"

"Then why is our daughter covered in bruises," Duncan asked.

"If you'll just let us explain-"

"Sam has a bloody nose and a black eye, you'd better explain fast," Fiona shouted as she fussed over her son.

"Mom, I'm fine; you should see the other guy," Sam chuckled a bit before his mother glared at him.

Klaus and Isadora were fussing over Lizzie to make sure that she hadn't been hurt too. Violet, Duncan, Quigley, and Fiona had gone into a panic mode when they all came home to find their children hurt. Sunny and Beatrice sat on the living room couch in Klaus and Isadora's house looking guiltily around at the others.

"Sunny, what happened," Klaus asked sternly.

Sunny sighed deeply, "We accidentally went to Carmelita's mansion when we were out. Her son, Cameron, insulted all three of them and told Lizzie that her glasses were ugly and made her look like a dork. Nikki and Sam lost their minds and attacked him. He fought back, and we _swear_ we tried to separate them, but it took the boy's dad coming in to break it up. That's the truth."

"I can confirm, I saw the whole thing," Beatrice added.

Violet and Duncan looked down at Nikki, "You attacked Carmelita's son?"

"Yes, we didn't like how he talked to Lizzie," Nikki replied.

Isadora stood up, "Carmelita Spats has a son?"

"You mean to tell me that some poor guy actually-" Duncan was interrupted as he glanced at the three children in the room and realized that he shouldn't finish that sentence.

"Who's Carmelita Spats," The three kids asked in unison.

The adults all looked around at each other pondering how to respond to the question.

"She's just somebody we used to know once, kids," Violet answered, "No need to worry about it."

"Was she a jerk like her stupid son, mama," Lizzie asked.

Isadora smirked, "I'd rather eat a bowl of vampire bats, than spend an hour with Carmelita Spats."

Klaus smiled, "Still your best work yet, Isadora."

"Thank you, I know."

The adults all ushered the kids to their beds for the night. Sunny and Beatrice had to drive back to school and said good-bye to everyone. Once everyone was gone the six adults smiled knowingly at each other.

"What are the chances that she'd come back into our lives," Quigley asked.

"Not very high," Fiona replied, "But from what you guys told me I'm glad I never met her."

"You should be," Duncan said, "She's awful."

"And it looks like her son is no different," Violet added.

"Mr. Whitmore said that Prufrock is still running right," Klaus asked, "At least the last time we talked to him for Sunny's PTA meeting."

"Yeah, and Carmelita probably sent her little brat there too," Isadora said.

"Then it's settled," Violet said, "Our kids are going to public school."

"Agreed," Everyone collectively said.

 **~The End!**

 **I know it's not Halloween yet, but I figured I'd put this one out early for the occasion. So Nikki is an artist, and Lizzie wants to be a librarian, but I haven't been able to think of a special talent/skill for Sam yet.**


	4. Nightmares

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Isadora's POV**

The string on our fake Sunny doll had snapped. Duncan and I were running through the halls of Prufrock. Our hearts were beating madly in our chests. I felt like a failure. We had run all those laps and still got noticed in the end. I don't know how I'll be able to face Klaus after this. I had promised him nothing would go wrong…

"Quick, Izzie, the library," Duncan whispered.

He pulled me into the room and we hurriedly ducked behind the shelves trying to slow our heavy breathing. I'd never felt so terrified in my life. I couldn't get my mind off of the Baudelaires, our dear friends, hoping that Olaf hadn't gone to find them instead. Duncan held my hand tightly, and I could see my brother was sharing the same sense of dread as we heard the library doors open and Olaf stepped inside.

We held our breath as the wicked man inched closer to our hiding spot. Closer. Closer. He was about to find us. Oh, god, please forgive me Klaus-

"Boss!"

Olaf turned around and went back to his hook handed henchman just before he would have found our location. We heard the library doors slam shut and heard the hook handed man say he would guard the door. Great, we're trapped.

"Isadora, look."

Duncan carefully crawled over to a small shelf and grabbed a book. The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations! We found it!

"Looks like we have some reading to do," I said with a small smile.

Duncan eagerly took out his journalist notebook and opened the large book to begin taking notes. I pulled out our spyglass and figured out how to set it to the flashlight function and pointed it at the pages. We wrote down everything. Names. Spyglass details. Code phrases. Duncan made sure to take down as much information as he could.

"Just think of how happy the Baudelaires will be when we show them this," Duncan whispered with a smile.

I nodded, "I'm sure Violet will be thrilled with your note taking skills."

I saw my brother blush a bit in the dark, "Shut up..."

We hadn't heard the library doors open. We didn't hear the hook handed man creep towards us. We didn't notice him until it was too late. He dragged us out of the library, leaving cuts on our arms; our screams haunting the night.

The next day Duncan and I were shoved into Olaf's car as the Baudelaires rushed to stop him. I tried to throw Klaus the spyglass but it broke, leaving him with the piece that was mine in the first place. As the Baudelaires disappeared from view with the car driving away, Duncan and I had tears streaming down our faces. We had failed them. Our only true friends left in the world and we had failed them when they needed us most.

Klaus Baudelaire would never love me now…

I woke up in a cold sweat, touching my arm where the hook handed man had once left a nasty cut when I was kidnapped. I felt tears well up in my eyes. My breathing was heavy and my heart thundered in my chest. Tears spilled over as I sat up and whimpered softly.

"Isadora," A voice said beside me.

A light on the nearby table was turned on and I felt a warm hand on my back. I looked up to see the handsome face of Klaus Baudelaire, my husband. We were in bed together. My bad dream had just been my brain replaying horrible memories that had long since passed.

His eyes softened behind his glasses, "Nightmare?"

I let out a sob, "Yes..."

Klaus pulled me into his arms and petted my hair as I cried into his chest.

"Klaus... I need to ask you something."

"Of course, my love, anything."

"My... my dream was about the night Duncan and I were kidnapped," I looked into his eyes, "I need to know: did you... did you ever forgive me for failing you that night?"

Klaus blinked in surprise, "Do you really think I was mad at you after that?"

"You must have been! I promised you nothing would go wrong..."

He put his hand on my cheek and held up my left hand in his, "Isadora, look at this."

I looked down and saw a white gold wedding band on my left ring finger. Carved on the side was K.B.+I.B. On his hand was a matching ring with the same engraving. We had them specially made for our wedding. I felt myself calm down just looking at it.

"You didn't fail me that night. That was the night you found The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations and learned all that useful stuff about V.F.D., and that information was essential to our survival when we got you guys out of that fountain. I couldn't possibly be mad at you for that. You promised me nothing would go wrong, so what? It worked out in the end. And we even ended up together, and our little girl is asleep down the hall, just like I always wanted since the day I met you."

I started to smile, "Ever since you met me?"

He smiled lovingly at me, "Yeah, Izzie, I saw you, and I just thought you were perfect. You're the most wonderful woman in the world. I believe I said: you bring light into my life, and I hope someday you will be my wife."

"Through all our pain and strife, I couldn't be happier to be your wife."

He kissed me, "Feeling better?"

"Yes," I smiled, "Thank you."

He smirked, "Well, you know if you need some extra assurance, if there's anything else I can do to help you relax..."

He gently pressed me down on the bed climbing on top of me. He started kissing my neck affectionately.

I giggled, "Klaus! What if Lizzie wakes up?"

"The door is closed, it's fine; besides she's a heavy sleeper,"

We did have to work tomorrow... but... I did want some help relaxing. After all, I would hate to have another nightmare. I took off his glasses and set them on the nightstand. He reached over and turned off the light before kissing me passionately.

"I love you, Isadora Baudelaire."

"I love you too, Klaus, now about helping me relax..."

I woke up the next morning in a mild panic as I had overslept. Klaus had already gotten up, and was surely now at the research center he had started working at. Thankfully, Lizzie had been the one to wake me up before she ran off to play with her cousins. I felt like punching myself. This is what I get for letting my husband keep me up on a work night. I'll have a lot to say to him when I get home later. I took a taxi to work and tried to calm myself down.

I had taken up a job working as a poetry teacher for a local university. Hopefully, my students wouldn't ask too many questions about why their teacher was nearly 20 minutes late to class. Upon arriving, I walked quickly into my classroom and everyone turned their attention to me. Good, it seems they haven't been misbehaving that much. I simply set down my bag on my desk and apologized for my "poor time management." Nobody said a word, thank God, so I just casually began the lesson without another word on the matter.

When the bell rang for class to let out, I collected everyone's assignments from the previous lesson as the students left. Once everyone was gone, I sighed and went to the teachers' lounge. I desperately needed some coffee.

When I arrived I ran into one of my coworkers, "Good morning Isadora."

I sipped my coffee before responding, "Morning Laurie."

She grabbed herself a drink, "Heard you were late this morning. One of your students even stopped by my room to ask where you were."

I groaned, "Ugh, do you think I'll get in trouble?"

"Nah, you've got a perfect attendance record, besides it was only a couple minutes. And you did show up eventually."

I sighed with relief; at least I know I won't be fired over this.

"What happened anyway," She asked, "You look tired."

I looked at her for a moment, processing my answer, before simply replying, "I had a nightmare; kept me up late. I'll spare you the details."

Translation: _I had a nightmare, and my charming husband kept me up afterwards "helping me relax."_

In all honesty, I can't be too mad at Klaus; he is my husband. I glanced at my wedding ring and smiled softly.

 _"And I love him no matter what."_

 **~The End!**

 **Kladora forever, that's all I'm saying here. What? They're married, it's their right. :)**


	5. Olivia's Fate

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Olivia's POV**

"The Baudelaires and the Quagmires have been found at Heimlich Hospital," I heard the man over the phone say.

"Oh, my God, they're together? Are they alright?"

"They're fine; they just walked past me on their way down to the Library of Records. I have to go now; use this information wisely Miss Caliban."

I hung up the phone and turned to my friend. Kit Snicket was sitting on the couch in Madame Lulu's tent wiping her eyes with a tissue. My excitement faltered for a moment as I knew how hard she was taking our most recent loss. I hadn't been taking it any better. I loved that man; Jacques' death will be avenged…

"Kit, I need you to do something for me," I started, "I need you to help me organize an escape plan for the Baudelaires and the Quagmires."

She looked at me, "Olivia, we have a meeting to attend in a matter of days that will allow us to decide a fitting punishment for Count Olaf and his associates. I have to prepare."

"No," I shouted, "I need you to help me with this now! I care about those kids! They deserve so much better than we have been able to give them!"

She flinched at my outburst. I collapsed into an armchair and let out a few tears.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, "It's just... I know what it's like to be alone like them. I'm an orphan too..."

Kit looked at me quietly, her eyes softened. She got up and grabbed the phone and called an unknown number.

"Jacqueline, this is Kit Snicket," She spoke, "I need you and Larry on an absolutely crucial assignment. This is a dangerous mission. Get a helicopter and meet Olivia and I at Caligari Carnival. We don't have time to waste, get here _now_."

She turned to me after hanging up, "You want my help? You got it."

"Oh, Kit," I flung my arms around her in a hug, being careful not to crush her due to her pregnancy, "Thank you!"

"Jacques would have wanted me to," She smiled sadly, "Once Larry and Jacqueline get here we'll discuss a plan."

The secretary I had met at Mr. Poe's office and her waiter companion arrived about an hour later in a helicopter. We ensured that the local carnival freaks in the caravan didn't see who had arrived as we couldn't risk them learning about our secret organization plans. Kit had been playing Madame Lulu before I got here. Jacques had told me that she was our most valiant volunteer; I could see it from the moment I saw her determined and professional gaze.

"We need to ensure that Olaf won't be able to track them. We need to alter their course," Jacqueline said as she looked at our maps.

"They're at Heimlich Hospital now," Larry said pointing at a spot on the paper, "If we get them out of there we can take them straight to the Headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains. Or at least take them on the correct path and let them reach it on their own."

"Excellent idea," I said, "But they can't stay there, even when we have a meeting at Hotel Denouement."

"I've got an idea," Kit got up from her chair and grabbed the phone once more.

She put it on speaker phone this time, and the voice of a girl rang through. She sounded no older than 16.

"Hello, who is this?"

"This is Kit Snicket, is the Queequeg?"

"Yes it is, Miss Snicket, I'm sure you wish to speak to my stepfather," The girl called out for her stepfather and a gruff sailor's voice took over.

"Aye, Kit Snicket! It's been ages! What can I do for you?"

"Captain Widdershins, I have a mission for you and it's top priority. We are planning an escape route to save the Baudelaires and their friends the Quagmire triplets. They've been found together at Heimlich Hospital this morning. Once I retrieve the sugar bowl from the hospital, I will take them to the Mortmain Mountains. We'll give them exactly four days to reach you from there by using a boat to sail down the Stricken Stream. Are you getting all of this, Captain?"

"Aye, my stepdaughter Fiona is taking down every word! What next?"

"Once they board your submarine, take them to Briny Beach where I will be waiting with the next phase of our plan. After that, you head for Hotel Denouement; we're having another meeting after this one."

"Aye, I'll get them to their Vigorously Fixed Destination! Don't you worry about that Miss Snicket! You can always count on the submarine Q and its mighty crew of two!"

"Thank you, Captain, make sure the submarine is in position at the bottom of the Stricken Stream within the time frame," Kit finished, "Don't be late. Good-bye sir."

She hung up the phone and turned to Jacqueline and Larry, "You two: get a boat and hide it on top of Mount Fraught by the Stricken Stream source. Make sure it's big enough for all of them. Go, now."

"Yes sir," The two volunteers left to return to their helicopter for their mission.

"What can I do," I asked.

Kit looked at me, "Olivia, we'll need someone to keep Olaf at bay while I smuggle the children away from the hospital."

I racked my brain for a moment as I looked around the large fortune teller tent. Suddenly, an idea formed in my head.

"Let me take over as Madame Lulu, Kit."

"What?"

"I'll play Madame Lulu while you go on your mission! Olaf will surely arrive here after he leaves the hospital. That phone call said he arrived shortly after the children did, and he has to stop here before reaching the mountains anyway."

Kit regarded me carefully for a moment, "That sounds very dangerous, my friend. Keeping Olaf and his troupe distracted while the children escape? How do you plan on accomplishing such a task?"

I gestured to the crystal ball on the small table in the back of the tent, "I give him what he wants. I'll answer any question he asks to the best of my ability. I'll gain his trust. You can teach me how to use the fortune telling machine and I'll do whatever it takes to keep him distracted until the children reach the sea!"

I knew my plan was dangerous, maybe even suicidal, but I wanted to help. I needed to help. This plan was foolproof; Olaf won't know what hit him.

She put a hand on my shoulder, "I admire your determination, but I'm not sure you should dare to attempt this. I could call another volunteer to take over as Lulu."

"No," I said firmly, "I have to do it. I'm already here, and I'm willing. If not for me, do it for Jacques!"

Tears welled up in my eyes once more. Jacques Snicket... the only man I ever loved. Murdered in the Village of Fowl Devotees just yesterday; I wanted to do this for him. I needed to finish what he and I started by doing my part to save the Baudelaires and the Quagmires. They were such good children back at Prufrock, and I wanted desperately to help them on to a brighter future. Those children deserve to be together; I could see their hearts were connected whenever I saw them together. Violet and Duncan were meant to be, and Klaus and Isadora are perfect for each other. They may not have opened their feelings, but I could see them clear as day.

"I need to help those kids in any way I can," I added fiercely, "I'm a librarian, Kit... helping kids is my job."

She paused before smiling and giving me a hug, "Thank you for volunteering, Olivia. Jacques would be so proud of you."

I let out a soft sob, "Do you think he's watching over us now?"

"Yes I do," She replied quietly, "He loved you very much you know. Couldn't stop raving about how perfect you were to me the last time we talked."

I smiled sadly, "I loved him too, my friend, and I would have been honored to be your sister-in-law someday."

"Come, I'll teach you how to be Madame Lulu."

The next couple hours were spent with me training to be a fake fortune teller. It was late afternoon by the time we were finished. I walked out of the back curtains to reveal my change of attire. I was dressed expertly as Madame Lulu now, wig, piercings, and all.

"How do I look?"

Kit smiled, "Perfect, better than me even. Although with my little one on the way the outfit has been getting rather uncomfortable."

I smiled, "I'm sure it has. Congratulations on your baby by the way, I wasn't expecting you to be pregnant when Jacques told me to meet you here. Do you mind if I ask who the father is?"

Kit chuckled softly and rubbed her stomach, "My husband, Dewey Denouement, I didn't take his surname to keep our identities safe. We hope it's a girl. I only recently told my brother Lemony in a letter."

"You have another brother?"

"Yes, Lemony is the reason why I'm helping you with this plan. He begged me to protect the Baudelaires by any means necessary. And if you want me to protect Duncan and Isadora Quagmire then I will. I gave Lemony my word, and I never go back on my word. I have to get going now; I'll make it to the hospital in time to get the sugar bowl don't worry about that."

I nodded, "Thank you, Kit, for everything."

"You're welcome. Make sure you introduce yourself to the employees in the freaks caravan; they'll need to know you're the new boss. Good luck, Madame Lulu."

She gave me a final hug before gathering a couple backpacks full of supplies for the children when she reaches them and I watched from the tent as she drove away in her taxi.

I did as I was told and introduced myself to the local carnival employees. The three of them didn't seem surprised that they had gotten a new Madame Lulu. It was expected since the job changed hands often. Upon returning to my tent, my temporary home, I felt my heart clench as my thoughts returned to Jacques.

 **~Flashback**

 _"When you drive away in secret, you'll be a volunteer. So don't scream when we take you, the world is quiet here."_

 _"Good job, Olivia, you've taken your oath and now you're ready to start training."_

 _"Mr. Snicket-"_

 _"Please, ahem, call me Jacques."_

 _I smiled, "Sorry, Jacques, when do I begin?"_

 _He put a hand on my shoulder, "Right away, we have a mission to find the Quagmire triplets and reunite them with the Baudelaires. It's top priority; are you up for it?"_

 _"Absolutely, I'd do anything for those kids, they're wonderful."_

 _We searched every floor of 667 Dark Avenue, but found no sign of the kids. Jacques Snicket was kind and charming the whole way up as we climbed the building. We stopped on the top floor and rested for a moment on the balcony._

 _"Maybe we'll get lucky in the penthouse," He said._

 _I felt my cheeks redden. He looked away awkwardly and mumbled an apology for his inappropriate wording. I didn't mind, I thought it was a bit funny actually. Once we had finished our search we got back into his taxi and he drove me to the ruins of the Baudelaire mansion. I felt tears well up just looking at the sorrowful sight._

 _"This was the Baudelaires' home," He said, "Olaf did this. The same fate happened to the Quagmires' mansion. We never found out what caused that one."_

 _"Why? How could someone be so cruel?"_

 _"It all started with the theft of the sugar bowl."_

 _He told me everything. The sugar bowl theft had led to several other crimes that eventually led to the fire that destroyed the lovely Baudelaire mansion._

 _"The world is so much more complicated than I thought."_

 _"Indeed it is," He said, "That's why we do what we do. Volunteers dedicate themselves to putting out the fires of the world, literally and figuratively. Are you truly ready to take up the torch for us?"_

 _He held up a spyglass and placed it in my hands. I stared at it for a moment as I contemplated my answer._

 _"If it means I can help children who lost their families in tragic fires, then I'll do anything for the V.F.D."_

 _"That's the spirit," He smiled that handsome smile, "Now come with me, you have training to do."_

 _We went to stay in a place called Hotel Denouement that night. It was apparently a safe place for the organization. We spent hours going over every detail I would need to become a volunteer. Code phrases, coded poems, spyglass training, everything I would need was taught by him in the days that the Baudelaires lived at Dark Avenue._

 **~End flashback**

That whole week Jacques had stared at me in a way that no man had looked at me before. And I found myself looking back. Our last night at the Hotel, we gave in to our growing affection for each other. I'll never forget how wonderful his lips had felt on mine; how gentle his touch was when we went to bed together that night. I had never been an impulsive woman, I was just a shy librarian, but I had wanted him as badly as he had wanted me. And that last night at Hotel Denouement was just _perfect_.

After that we had tried to stop Olaf at the "In" Auction, but he had escaped with the Quagmires stuck in a red herring statue. We followed them to the Village of Fowl Devotees and had gotten captured. After some clever trickery, I managed to get Esmé to let us go by telling her where the sugar bowl was. Jacques had told me to take his taxi and go find Kit at Caligari Carnival while he tried to deal with Olaf.

 _"Promise me we'll see each other again."_

 _He had kissed me passionately, "This story isn't over yet."_

I knew why he didn't promise me that. He was murdered by Olaf shortly after I drove away that night. I had to be told the horrible news by the _Daily Punctilio_ the following morning. When Kit and I saw the paper we cried for hours together. She loved her brother dearly. Jacques Snicket was an incredible man; one that I will never forget. I spent the night watching films of him that Kit had in the small library in the tent. I didn't care that I spent the whole time with a sad smile as tears ran down my cheeks; I just wanted to hear his sweet voice again.

 **~Two Days Later**

Olaf had burned down Heimlich Hospital. I could see the fire raging through my spyglass. After some time I heard my phone ring. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"This is Kit," I heard a soft voice respond, "I have the children in my car. They're together and safe. They're asleep right now though. We'll reach the drop off point in the Mortmain Mountains by morning if I drive all night. Olaf is on his way to the carnival as we speak."

I felt my heart lighten immensely at the news, "Thank you for letting me know. Do you have the sugar bowl?"

"In my pocket, Jacqueline and Larry assured me that the boat is in position on Mount Fraught," She replied, "I have a long drive ahead of me, good night, and good luck Olivia."

"Good night, Kit," I hung up the phone and checked myself in the mirror once more.

My disguise was ready. My fake accent had been perfected thanks to Kit's instructions. I had everything I needed to be a fortune teller. I felt Jacques' spirit in my heart.

"I'm a volunteer, Jacques," I said to myself quietly, "And I will do this for you, my love. Olaf will pay for his crimes. And the world will be quiet again once this is over."

 **~The next morning**

"Greetings, please, I am Madame Lulu!"

I looked around at the evil people seated in my tent. Olaf started demanding information about the survivor of a fire. I ushered the others out of the tent and gave him exactly what he asked for, I told him there was a survivor. I had no idea if this was true or even what fire he was referring to as he said it could be the Baudelaires' or the Quagmires'. Madame Lulu's motto was "give people what they want," so I gave him exactly that.

Once he was satisfied, he went about taking over the House of Freaks show at the carnival. He seemed incredibly frustrated that the audience wasn't as large as he would have liked. Once the show was over he took me with him out into the Hinterlands and we gathered up a small group of starving lions that had been roaming the area. Apparently, Olaf meant to feed one of our freaks to the lions for tomorrow's show. I couldn't object of course because of my disguise but I felt disgusted at being forced to help with the task. Especially since these lions were once Volunteer Feline Detectives as Kit had mentioned to me. Those poor creatures looked miserable in their pit after Olaf dropped them inside. I felt my heart ache at their pitiful cries for nourishment.

"You," Esmé Squalor approached me, "I want to talk to you."

"Of course, Mrs. Squalor," I replied.

She led me out of the House of Freaks tent and over to a nearby telephone booth.

"I know what you're doing," She said glaring at me.

I felt myself start to sweat a bit, "Really, please? And what, please, do you think I am doing?"

"You're trying to steal my boyfriend!"

I felt relief wash over me, she hadn't seen through my disguise after all, "Oh, dear lady Esmé! I can assure you I would never do such a thing, please!"

"I'm watching you," She said sternly before turning to go back to her troupe.

That was too close. It wasn't my fault that Olaf was very obviously attracted to me. I felt my skin crawl just thinking about his rather open flirting he had been doing for the past several hours since his arrival.

I went into my tent and saw a friendly face, "Jacqueline!"

The secretary stood, "I came to see you before I headed to the mountains."

We locked ourselves in the secret room in the back of the tent to talk privately, "What happened at the meeting? It was this morning, right?"

"Yes, Olaf and his associates will be punished for his crimes at the next meeting on Friday. The children have made it to Mount Fraught?"

"Kit left them on the trail this morning. I assume they made it to Headquarters by now, it's almost evening. I'm happy the Baudelaires and the Quagmires are safe and I am honored to be able to serve them."

"Thank goodness," She said, "I have Larry waiting in the helicopter at the base of the mountains. I'll get them to the boat and he's going to watch from the sky to ensure that they reach the water. They have 3 days after today."

"And the meeting is in 6," I nodded, "They're right on schedule. I have a few disguises here if you want to spend the night."

"I shouldn't," She replied, "I need to get going as fast as possible. I'll be driving up the trail to reach the peak on my motorcycle."

I gave her a hug, "It's all coming together smoothly."

"Indeed it is, Miss Caliban."

We stepped out of the secret room to hear one of Olaf's henchmen calling for me. I nodded to Jacqueline and she discreetly followed me to the House of Freaks tent. She stood in the entrance, keeping herself hidden to watch over me, as I went inside. Olaf's entire troupe was there. I didn't have time to ask what was going on. The next thing I knew, I was shoved from behind by Esmé into the lion pit. One of Olaf's henchmen fell in with me by accident. And the sharp teeth of the once brave beasts were the last thing I saw…

Darkness. That was all I could see. I felt my eyes flutter open. I quietly stood and looked around.

 _"A library?"_

It was definitely a library. A massive one, larger than any I had ever seen before. Rows and rows of shelves filled with endless books lined the walls as far as I could see in the sunlit room. The last thing I could remember was fangs, claws, growls, roars, and the sound of laughter from Esmé Squalor as she had shoved me into my doom. How was I in a library? Surely I was dead. Wait that's it! I am dead!

"Then this must be the great beyond," I said, softly.

"Indeed it is, my love."

My ears perked up at the sound of a voice I had longed to hear for days. I turned around to see the smiling, handsome face of Jacques Snicket staring lovingly at me. I felt tears run down my cheeks as I flung my arms around him tightly. He kissed me deeply; I poured my heart and soul into our passionate reunion. I didn't care that I was dead; at least I was in the arms of the man I loved.

"My dear Olivia, come with me," He commanded.

He held his arm out like a gentleman for me to grab as we walked through the halls of the library. He casually explained that this was the Afterlife, and for volunteers like us it appears as a library filled with every book ever written or soon to be written. I was never religious, but this place certainly felt like heaven. He said it changes depending on what the person believes and depending on the person's nature. He didn't need to tell me that our enemies in the mortal world were never going to arrive here.

We walked for some time before reaching an open area with many couches, armchairs, tables, and lights. It looked remarkable and cozy, just like a library should. I saw several people gathered here. Jacques and I walked over and he introduced me to them one by one.

"This is Dr. Montgomery, one of the world's leading herpetologists, and his assistant Gustav Sebald."

"Hello, Miss Caliban it is an honor to meet you at last," Monty said shaking my hand with a smile. Gustav nodded politely at me.

"You were one of the Baudelaires guardians," I noted, "I've heard a lot about you Doctor."

"Yes I was," He replied, "Thank you kindly Madame."

We continued walking, "This is Josephine Anwhistle and her husband Ike."

The two were sitting together on a couch reading books on Grammar. They smiled at me and waved. They seemed too interested in staying close to each other to get up for a proper greeting. Jacques had told me about their story as well. We continued to the back of the room and saw a group of four people looking out a window. Jacques cleared his throat to get their attention.

The four turned around and smiled at me. I instantly knew who these people were. On the left were a man and a woman who looked remarkably like Duncan and Isadora. On the right was another couple who looked far too much like Violet and Klaus. The two women stepped forward and wrapped their arms around me in a tight embrace.

"My name is Karen Quagmire," One of them said finally; she gestured to the man beside her, "This is my husband Quinten."

"And my name is Beatrice Baudelaire; this is my husband Bertrand."

"You must be Olivia Caliban," Bertrand said, adjusting his glasses, "It's an honor to meet you."

I smiled at them, "No it's more of an honor to meet you all really."

"Are you crazy," Quinten asked, "You're the hero! You helped save our kids!"

"And they're eternally grateful," Karen added, "See for yourself."

She gestured to the window they had been looking through and I stepped closer. Through it I could see the sight of the Duncan and Isadora hugging their triplet brother tightly in the ruins of the destroyed V.F.D. Headquarters. The Baudelaires were watching them from a distance. There was no mistaking it; Quigley had been alive after all! I noticed Karen and Quinten wipe away a few tears of joy at the sight. Jacques explained that this window was our viewing port to the mortal world. The vision in the shot changed to later when we watched as the children climbed the frozen waterfall and made it to the boat on Mount Fraught. Karen and Beatrice smirked as Duncan and Violet shared a kiss, while Klaus and Isadora did the same.

"Just like we hoped for, eh, Karen," Beatrice asked.

"You know it Bea," Karen replied with a chuckle.

The vision changed to the following morning as Jacqueline arrived on the peak and told them about my fate. I felt strange seeing these children cry over me. I felt even worse that Jacqueline had watched my demise without being able to stop it. We watched as the children were helped into the boat by Jacqueline and she melted the frozen stream for them to continue on their mission.

"You did that," Bertrand said with a grin; as we watched the children sail down the stream.

I blinked in surprise, "Me?"

"Of course, Olivia," Beatrice said, "They're safe and together because of you. Your devotion to our cause was admirable."

Karen nodded, "You are a true volunteer Miss Caliban, and the Baudelaire and Quagmire families have you to thank for this. If it hadn't been for your planning with Kit and the others, who knows what would have happened."

I felt a tear run down my cheek as the two sets of proud parents smiled fondly at me. Jacques put a hand on my shoulder.

"Bet you're glad you stepped out of that library now," He said jokingly.

I wiped my eyes as the children climbed into the submarine, "Yeah... I really am."

Jacques and I left as I wished to have a tour of this lovely place, while the parents continued watching over their children. Once we were alone, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug.

"Are you proud of me Jacques?"

"Absolutely, my love, you did remarkably well for such a recent addition to the team. You made our organization proud to have you."

I kissed him softly before responding, "When you drive away in secret, you'll be a volunteer."

"So don't scream when we take you."

"The world is quiet here."

 **~The End!**

 **I know I went into some strange territory at the end with the Afterlife stuff, but I thought it would be nice. Jacques and Olivia are together again now! And I had to show this story since I left it out of my How It Should Have Been story for plot purposes.**


	6. Quigley's Proposal

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Quigley's POV**

It looked perfect. Absolutely, wonderfully perfect. I couldn't believe I was actually holding an engagement ring in my hand. It had a lovely silver band accented with a piece of one of my family's sapphires instead of a diamond. I had it specially made. I could only hope that Fiona would say yes. I had just picked it up from the jewelry store. I hadn't told anyone about my plan. I was at the harbor at the edge of town because I had called asking to meet with Fiona's stepfather in private. I was sitting on the docks waiting for the Queequeg to arrive. I put the box in my pocket.

Duncan and Violet were married two years ago. And Klaus and Isadora had been married last year. Fiona had caught the bouquet at Isadora's wedding and I knew I was planning to propose eventually. We've been together ever since she left V.F.D. to attend Whitmore Academy with the rest of us. She was at work right now at the science lab downtown. I was here to do the gentlemanly thing and ask her stepfather permission to marry her. Duncan had asked Klaus for permission when he proposed to Violet; even though he hadn't actually needed to. Klaus had asked both me and Duncan for permission when he proposed to Isadora. Now it was my turn, and Fiona was the only one who had a living parent, even if it wasn't by blood; we didn't resent her for it though.

"Finally," I said standing up as I saw the submarine emerge from the ocean waters.

I climbed inside as instructed and met the Captain on the main deck with his crew-mate, Phil.

"Aye if it isn't Quigley Quagmire," Captain Widdershins shouted happily.

"Hello, Quigley, it's always a pleasure to see you," Phil said with a smile.

Phil was an optimist, perhaps a little too much so. His very upbeat attitude about literally anything can get rather tiring. He's just way too happy sometimes, but he's a good guy. I took a seat at the table with them and tried to prepare myself mentally.

"So what brings you aboard today," Captain Widdershins asked with a grin, "And why isn't Fiona with you? Usually she's the one bringing you to visit."

I cleared my throat, "She's at work; it's just me today. I have something important I wanted to discuss with you."

"Aye, go right ahead."

 _"Ok, now or never."_

I carefully reached into my pocket and pulled out the tiny box. I kept it hidden under my hand as I set it on the table.

"Captain Widdershins, I've been with Fiona for a long time now, seven years to be exact. And I called you for this meeting today because I," I felt my throat grow dry, "I wish to ask you permission to marry your stepdaughter..."

I opened up the box and showed them the ring. The two men sat silently for a moment before I was grabbed by the captain in a tight hug as he cried tears of joy.

"You're going to marry Fiona!? Of course you have my permission! Hell, you have enthusiasm! You're gonna be my son-in-law!"

He was crushing me with his hug but I felt weight lift off my shoulders when he said yes.

"You really mean it, sir?"

"Aye, I said yes didn't I?"

"Oh, this is wonderful! We're going to have a wedding," Phil said excitedly.

The captain finally released his grip on me and I was able to breathe again, "Well I haven't asked her yet!"

"Oh, but you will," Phil examined the ring carefully, "This engagement ring is lovely. But why did you go with a sapphire? Most girls prefer a diamond."

I smiled to myself. The answer to that question was obvious. I had chosen a sapphire to show that I wanted her to become a part of my family permanently by giving her one of our precious jewels. Duncan had done the same thing with Violet; though his engagement ring was white-gold with a sapphire. And Klaus had used a traditional diamond ring since Isadora was joining his family.

"It's to symbolize her becoming a part of the Quagmire family," I explained, "I had it specially made with one of my family's jewels."

"How thoughtful," Phil replied with a grin, "I'm sure Fiona will just love it!"

"Aye, she will! When are you going to do it?"

"I have everything planned out. I'm taking her out tonight for a private dinner in the forest and once we're there I'll ask her. I haven't told anyone else about this yet guys so please keep it a secret."

"Aye, keeping secrets is half my job, son! It comes with being a volunteer!"

I nodded and put the ring back in my pocket, "Well I should get going now so I can get everything ready. Thank you, sir, for giving me permission."

"Not a problem son! Make sure you let us know when the big day is. I can't wait to see my little girl get married," I saw the captain wipe his eyes for a moment, "Samantha would have been so happy."

I shook his hand and waved good-bye to Phil before climbing out of the submarine with a huge grin on my face.

 _"One down, and one to go."_

I sat down on the chair in the visitors' area as I waited. I was at the prison to see Fiona's brother, Fernald. I didn't necessarily need to ask him for permission for this, but I wanted to let him know what I was up to. Fiona and I visited him regularly and he had taken a liking to me after we met. She loved her brother; despite all the terrible things he's done he loved her too. He had proved that already by betraying Olaf to protect her. I'm forever grateful to him for that, but I understand why the others don't want to be around him even though he's in jail and reformed. After a while I saw him sit down on the other side of the glass separating us. He smiled at me and used his awkward appendages to grab the phone so we could talk.

"Hey, Quigley, what brings you here today?"

"Hi, Fernald, I'm here with some good news."

"Good news, huh, is that why Fiona isn't with you?"

"Yep, she doesn't even know I'm here. Anyway, listen, I just picked up a present for her and I uh, wanted your opinion on it," I took the box out of my pocket once more and set it on the table to show it to him.

He stared at the ring in stunned silence for a minute before a huge grin overtook his face, "You're going to propose to my sister!"

I laughed, "Yes I am, I just got the ok from your stepdad about an hour ago. I have everything planned out and I wanted to tell you before I ask her. What do you think?"

"I think that's wonderful! But listen buddy, you make my sister happy understand? She loves you a lot and I wish you two all the happiness in the world, but if you break her heart I'll come out there and kick your ass."

"I know, Fernald, I treat her like a queen already," It was true, I did treat Fiona like a queen; she deserved it.

"What's the plan?"

"Tonight, I have a special dinner planned," I answered as I pocketed the ring once again, "After this I'll be heading out to get all the stuff ready."

"Then get going! I don't want to keep you! You guys have been together for what? Seven years? It's about time you got hitched!"

I smiled, "Thanks for the confidence, sir. We'll let you know how it goes. I hope she says 'yes.'"

Fernald assured me that he was going to be let out of there soon, so I made a mental note to plan the actual wedding day for a convenient date; it would be cruel to not allow him to see Fiona marry, he loved her too dearly. We said our goodbyes and I returned to my car outside. I have a lot of work to do.

Everything was ready. It only took me all day to set up, but thankfully it had worked out in the end. I had given up on trying to tame my messy black hair, despite spending nearly a half hour trying to make myself look presentable for my love. Fiona always said she liked my mussed hair anyway. I had chosen to wear a simple black short-sleeved button up shirt and jeans to keep myself from looking too suspicious. I looked damn good if I do say so myself.

 _"And Duncan thinks he's the better looking of the two of us. As if."_

I had called Fiona and told her I would pick her up from work for our date. I made sure that she knew to wear something nice for the occasion. I tried to remain confident, but I could feel my nerves getting the better of me with every passing second.

 **~Fiona's POV**

I had just changed into my outfit for my date with Quigley tonight. I hadn't left work yet, as I was told he would be picking me up. I was now wearing a simple red dress that Isadora had been nice enough to lend me. She had gotten off work a few hours ago and was sitting in my office with me.

"How do I look," I asked nervously.

"You look great," She replied looking me over carefully, "Not like you need any assurance or anything. Quigley loves you no matter what you look like."

I giggled, "Thanks for letting me borrow your dress."

"Ah, keep it. I can always buy another one."

"Oh, well thank you! It is awfully nice."

She smirked, "So... where you guys going for your date tonight?"

I smiled, "He said it was a surprise and just told me to wear something nice."

"Alright," She put a hand to her chin in thought, "Hm, I wonder..."

I tilted my head a bit in confusion as I worked on my hair, "Something on your mind?"

"You don't think he might, you know," She held up her white-gold wedding ring that she had gotten last year from her love Klaus.

I blushed profusely behind my glasses, "Oh, Izzie, I don't think he's going to do that..."

"Why wouldn't he? You guys have been going out forever! Besides you caught the bouquet at my wedding remember? It's only a matter of time."

I had been so flustered that night. I had caught the bouquet and Quigley had just smirked at me knowingly. He hasn't asked yet, but I hope that he would soon. I loved him, he was my perfect cartographer boyfriend and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Isadora had told me that he used to date around a lot before meeting me. I didn't mind honestly. He was very loyal and I trusted him completely. His ladies' man habits had definitely disappeared after he fell for me.

 _"You're the only girl I want to kiss from now on,"_ Those were the words he had said on Briny Beach after kissing me for the first time. I held them dear to my heart ever since. Sure at the time we had basically only just met, but we're still together now.

"Don't you want to be sisters-in-law with me and Violet?"

I laughed, "Of course I do! I just don't think it's going to happen yet."

She rolled her eyes, "If you say so."

"Hello, girls," We both turned to see Quigley standing in the doorway to my office smiling at us.

"Hi Quiggles," I gave him a quick kiss.

"Aww, I ship it!"

"Shut up, Isadora," I said.

She laughed, "Well I have to get home now you two have fun on your date."

She winked at us before walking out the door.

Quigley grabbed my hand, "Ready to go?"

I nodded and followed him out to his car. Once we reached it he removed my glasses and tied a blindfold over my eyes.

"Quigley, what are you doing," I said giggling.

"It's for your surprise, doll, just go with it," He helped me into the car.

I felt the car start moving after a minute as he drove. He handed me my glasses and I held them in my lap on the way.

"Where are you taking me?"

"If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise. By the way, you look beautiful."

Damn him, he knew that would shut me up since my face heated up. I felt my nerves spike as I couldn't help thinking about what his surprise might be. Perhaps Isadora was on to something. Or maybe she was being a bad influence. After some time I felt the car stop and Quigley helped me out while still keeping me blindfolded. He gripped my hand tightly and led me through this mystery location.

"This had better be worth it."

He chuckled, "It will be, don't worry."

"Quigley are you ok? Your hands feel sweaty."

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," He replied hastily, "It must be the humidity or something."

 _"Right, humidity,"_ I thought with a smirk, _"He forgot I'm a scientist and I know it's not humid out tonight. Just because I'm a mycologist doesn't mean I can't know other scientific things too."_

We finally stopped walking after several minutes. He removed my blindfold and I put my glasses back on and gasped at the sight before me. We were in a forest clearing with fairy lights strung all over a few trees lighting up the area. In the center of the clearing was a blanket laid on the ground with a picnic basket and a small radio on it. Through the treetops we had a perfect view of the full moon. It looked amazing!

"Quigley, you did all this for me?"

He scratched his head sheepishly with a grin, "Yeah, it took all day to set up, do you like it?"

"I love it!"

"Heh, good, I also brought dinner," We sat down on the blanket and he opened the basket and took out a bottle of sparkling strawberry lemonade, my favorite, with some glasses and an assortment of our favorite foods.

I could tell he had just gotten them as take out, because he can't cook, but it was still a sweet gesture. We ate our meal and kept up a steady conversation before he suddenly became very nervous. I could tell he was nervous because he got up and started pacing. Every now and then he would look at me then look away and continued pacing.

Finally he stopped and cleared his throat, "Ahem, Fiona there is something else about tonight that I haven't shown you yet..."

I giggled, "Oh, really?"

He nodded and grabbed my hand to help me up. God I loved looking into his eyes, so warm and inviting. He gave me a shy, crooked smile as he kept his grip on my hand. Then he did something unexpected; he got down on one knee. I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Could he be?

"Fiona Widdershins, I love you," He pulled something out of his pocket, "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

I gasped at the gorgeous sapphire engagement ring. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Yes! Yes! Yes, Quigley, yes!"

I practically tackled him to the ground and covered him with kisses. I had never seen him smile so big! He placed the beautiful ring on my finger and kissed my hand; it was my other hand this time but it had been just like he did the day we met.

"I love you Quigley."

"I love you too Fiona."

 _"I don't believe we've been introduced. Quigley Quagmire."_

 _"I'm Fiona Widdershins; it's nice to meet you."_

 _"It's always nice to meet someone as beautiful as you."_

As we embraced each other under the moonlight that night we were surely both thinking the same thing: we could not wait to tell the others the good news.

 **~The End!**

 **I wanted to show this story because I thought it would be cute! And it was! I'm happy with how it turned out!**


	7. The Weekend

**Begin!**

 **Note: Yeah I know Prufrock didn't have weekends, but this is just a fanfic so anything is game!**

 **~Klaus' POV**

Finally, the weekend! God we've only been living at this Hell-hole school for five days and I'm already sick of this place. I had just woken up on Saturday morning and was on my way to the broom closet where our friends were forced to live. For some reason, they weren't at breakfast and I was curious as to why so I was heading over to see them. Ok that's not the _only_ reason I was going. I had another very good reason named Isadora Quagmire.

Ah, the name gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Lovely Isadora Quagmire; she was one of our only friends at this miserable school, along with her triplet brother Duncan. I don't know when my feelings for her really started, but they increased more every day I was with her. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny, inordinately kind, creative and passionate and just the most wonderful girl I've ever met in my 12 years on this earth. I could go on about her for hours! I was thinking of asking her to come with me to the library today. With every step I took I felt my legs turn to jelly; I had never asked to be alone with a girl before and I was already nervous enough around her normally. This was practically asking her on a date! I hope I don't choke. After a while, I had finally reached the Quagmires' broom closet and I proceeded to come up with my plan.

 _"Ok, you can do this. It's just asking your friend if she wants to go the library with you, that's all. It should be easy, right? Who am I kidding? This isn't easy!"_

I stared at the broom closet door and tried to will myself to knock. I took a deep breath.

 _"It's just a question,"_ I repeated to myself internally.

Slowly I reached up and knocked on the door. I silently hoped that Duncan wouldn't answer; it'd be too awkward to have to ask to see his sister. He'd tease me about I'm sure. After a couple seconds Isadora opened it and stepped outside, but kept the door partially open behind her with her hand on the knob. She smiled up at me and I felt myself melt inside. God her smile was beautiful.

"Good morning Klaus," She said, "Sorry we weren't at breakfast with you guys."

I quickly snapped out of my trance, "Oh, that's ok I was just coming to make sure that you're alright. We were worried about you guys..."

She giggled, "Well I'm fine, but unfortunately Duncan isn't. Remember how on Thursday we heard that Carmelita had a cold? It turns out that she went to class yesterday anyway, and gave Duncan her cold by sneezing on him on purpose in Mr. Remora's class. I'm surprised she didn't give it to Violet too since she sits right behind her. Guess she thought it would be worse to give it to one of us. So, I have to take care of him today; that's why we weren't at breakfast. We'd hate for you to get sick too."

I felt my heart drop, _"Oh..."_

Suddenly, I heard a cough come from inside the closet and a scratchy voice say, "Izzie I'm not sick."

She rolled her eyes and said to me, "One second."

She leaned into the doorway and replied, "Yes you are, you big baby! Now shut up and get some rest or I _will_ drag you to the nurse's office."

"Alright, sheesh," Duncan's voice responded weakly.

Isadora turned to me again, "Sorry about that, he doesn't like to listen to me when he's not feeling well. You should have seen how Quigley would act whenever he was sick. We couldn't get him to sit still for even a minute and it always made his recovery slower. Duncan's a little more cooperative, but he complains just as much. Anyway, is there anything else you needed while you're here?"

"Uh... no," I lied, "I should let you get back to your brother, I'll just head back now. I need to let Violet know what's going on."

Isadora smirked, "Yeah I'm sure she'll be pretty upset."

We both laughed at that. Violet and Duncan were very obviously enamored with each other since the day they met. They weren't exactly subtle about it either. Duncan was constantly doing things for her whenever he could, and I could often catch my sister staring at him when we all hung out together. I'm not sure how she learned anything in Mr. Remora's class with her crush sitting right beside her. But then again, I sat beside Isadora in Mrs. Bass' class and I barely learned a thing too. They were just stupid measurements anyway, Isadora was _way_ more interesting.

Her expression softened, "Are you sure there wasn't anything else? You look a little disappointed."

"No," I said a little too hastily, "You just get back to what you were doing."

She raised a brow at me, "You're lying."

 _"Damn, how did she do that?"_

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair nervously, "Ok you win... I was just thinking that maybe since it's Saturday you might be interested in going to the library with me."

I saw her perk up, "Oh... you mean like just the two of us? Alone?"

I wish she hadn't worded it that way, it only made me more nervous, "If that's what you want then yes that's what I meant."

Her smile faded a bit, "I'd love to, but I have to take care of Duncan. I'm sorry."

"No it's ok. I understand," I started to walk away trying to mask my disappointment, "Uh, I'll see you later."

 _"Great, first chance you have to be alone with her and she's busy. I can't blame her for it though. Whenever I'd get sick Violet would always look after me when our parents weren't home... Hey wait a minute! I just got a great idea!"_

I quickly stopped Isadora before she went back into her room, "Isadora, wait!"

She smiled again, damn her gorgeous smile, "Yes Klaus?"

"I have an idea," I leaned down and whispered in her ear so we wouldn't risk Duncan overhearing, "What if I get Violet to come and take care of Duncan so we can go to the library?"

She giggled and whispered back, "Oh, that's evil! Why would you force your sister to do that?"

I grinned, "She'll agree to it. She used to take care of me whenever I was sick. And I'm sure that Duncan wouldn't mind listening to her."

"Ok, but only if she says yes, understand?"

I nodded and walked quickly back to the orphans' shack where my sisters and I had been forced to live. Violet had already dropped Sunny off at the administrative office for work; she apparently didn't get the weekends off from her secretary job for Vice Principal Nero. I found my older sister sitting on her hay bale in the shack writing something down on a piece of paper. I noticed her hair was tied back, which meant she was thinking about her inventions, but I decided that the situation did warrant me interrupting her.

"Violet," I spoke up getting her attention.

She glanced up at me before looking back at her work, "Yeah, Klaus, I'm a little busy. What happened to the Quagmires? I thought you went to check on them."

I smirked a tiny bit as I thought about how to word my predicament, "Duncan has a cold and Isadora has to look after him. So I guess you won't be able to see him today."

I saw her pen stop writing for a second, "Duncan is sick?"

"Yeah, Carmelita forced her cold onto him yesterday. He sounded pretty bad too. I'm sorry Violet," I tried desperately to hold back my smile as I saw her face grow concerned at this information.

She reached up and pulled her ribbon out of her hair, "Hm, maybe I should go help out."

"If you insist," I said as she got up and followed me back to the broom closet.

Isadora was happy to let Violet take over in watching Duncan. And much to the surprise of no one, Duncan was happy to see Violet and had strangely stopped his complaining. Isadora and I walked to the library with knowing smiles.

"I cannot believe how well that worked," Isadora said.

"She definitely got him to shut up," I noted, "Hey you didn't just do that to get away from your brother did you?"

She laughed, "No, I really did want to spend time with you. I'll thank Violet for the help later."

We spent the rest of our time that day just relaxing in the library together. It was exactly as perfect as I had wanted it to be. From then on I would consider that day our first date.

 **~The following Monday**

"So, run this by me again Violet, I'm curious, how _exactly_ did you get sick?"

"Shut. Up."

 **~The End!**

 **Simple story; simple ending, perfect couples!**


	8. The Truth About Our Past

**It's time for the Baudelaire/Quagmire family to reveal the truth about their troubled past. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

It was Saturday at the Baudelaire/Quagmire estate. Isadora was sitting at her desk in the living room grading papers from her university students as she was babysitting the children today. Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam were sitting on the couch nearby watching a movie called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of their favorites. It was almost over as the kids were watching the final scene.

 _"Well, Mr. Potts!"_

 _"What's the matter?"_

 _"Now you have to marry me!"_

"Nikki, do you think that's true," Lizzie asked as the movie ended with a song.

"What's true?"

"That if a guy kisses you that means he has to marry you," Lizzie adjusted her glasses.

Sam rolled his eyes at his cousins, "It's not true! You got to find the right girl first."

"It could be, Sam," Nikki said, "How would you know? You've never kissed a girl!"

"And you've never kissed a boy," Sam replied sticking out his tongue at her.

Isadora stood and walked over to turn off the TV and put away the movie. Lizzie realized she should try asking her about their dilemma. She spoke up, getting her mother's attention.

"Mama, is it true that if a boy kisses you that means he has to marry you?"

Isadora laughed, "It's a little more complicated than that, kids!"

"Well how did you and Uncle Klaus fall in love then," Nikki asked, "If he kissed you then he had to marry you right?"

"That's not how it works Nik," Sam said.

"Actually, mama, you've never even told us how you and papa met," Lizzie said thoughtfully.

Isadora looked between the three children masking her obvious unease at their questions. The adults had managed to keep their children ignorant of their troubled history for this long, but they were running out of ways around the subject. The children were very curious about their parents' hidden past. Recently, Nikki and Lizzie have noticed that they don't have grandparents while Sam only has his grandfather, Captain Widdershins, on his mother's side. The three kids know that their parents keep certain things locked up tightly in their office safes that they're forbidden from opening. It was getting rather troublesome to keep so much from them, but their innocence would not last forever.

"That's a story for another day," Isadora replied with a smile.

The kids groaned, "You always say that!"

Isadora rolled her eyes and picked up her papers and walked into the other room. She picked up her phone and proceeded to call the other members of the family, starting with her brother Duncan. She had made a silent decision and needed to inform the others.

"Izzie, I'm a little busy right now," She heard Duncan say over the phone; "I'm sitting in the mayor's office waiting for an interview for my article."

"This will just take a second," She replied, "Listen, I think we should tell the kids tonight."

There was a pause before she heard him respond quietly, "Damn, are you sure?"

He had obviously understood what she meant, "Yes I'm sure. Are you up for it?"

"Uh... if you think it's wise, then yes let's do it. Make sure you get everyone else to agree first though."

"I'll call them," Isadora said, "If everyone agrees, we'll do it at dinner. Good-bye; and good luck with your interview."

She hung up the phone and proceeded to call the remaining family members to get them on board with the idea.

 **~Later that day**

"Are we sure we should do this," Klaus asked, "We can wait a couple more years."

"You agreed to it over the phone," Isadora said.

"I think we should do it," Quigley spoke up, "It's only fair."

"I agree," Fiona added patting her husband's arm, "It's about time."

Duncan put his arm around Violet, "We're going to do it eventually. We might as well get it out of the way now."

Violet nodded, "Everyone ready?"

They all agreed and their plan was set in motion at dinner that afternoon. They gathered together in Duncan and Violet's dining room and made sure the kids gave them their undivided attention. Once everyone was seated the adults all nodded to each other with knowing glances. They knew that once they started telling this story, there would be no turning back.

Violet spoke up, "Kids... we have something we'd like to talk to you about."

The three children look at her in confusion as they ate their meals; they almost looked afraid that they were in some kind of trouble.

Since she wasn't interrupted, Violet continued, "We know you've been curious about some things. We know you've been asking questions that we haven't given you proper answers to yet. So, after much discussion between us grown-ups, we've decided to answer those questions tonight."

Nikki grinned, "You mean it, mommy?"

Violet nodded, "Yes sweetheart we do mean it. However, I must warn you kids of something first: this isn't a very pleasant story, but it does have a happy ending. Once we start telling it, we won't be able to stop until it's over because you need to learn this now. We all agree that it's the right time to tell you, but we're going to give you one chance to decide. If you don't think you're ready, tell us."

Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam looked at each other. They had a chance to learn about their family history. This was a huge moment in their young lives. And they were letting them decide whether or not they want to hear it? The kids carefully considered her question before replying.

"We're ready."

It had been agreed that the best place to start would be with the Quagmires' house fire, since it happened first.

"Well, kids," Duncan said, "It all began with a terrible fire..."

Duncan explained how the Quagmire mansion burned down, and how he and Isadora made it out. Quigley then explained how he escaped but got separated from his siblings because the papers all said he was dead. They solemnly explained what happened to their parents; earning sad looks from the three kids at the knowledge that they would never know their grandparents. Duncan explained that he and Isadora were sent straight to a terrible place called Prufrock Preparatory School while Quigley went into hiding while traveling with a man named Jacques Snicket, who had agreed to protect him. Duncan and Isadora had lived at Prufrock for three semesters; a year and a half. It was now time for the Baudelaires to explain their half of the story.

"Our story started at Briny Beach... with another terrible fire," Violet began telling their tale.

The children's faces showed horrified expressions at Violet and Klaus' descriptions of an evil man they had been sent to live with, a man named Count Olaf. The children were especially terrified when Violet said that Olaf locked Sunny in a cage and suspended her from a 30 foot tower at only a year old. The kids loved their Aunt Sunny and the thought of her in such danger was mortifying; they almost couldn't have had her in their lives! Violet told them how she managed to get out of marrying Olaf by using the legal system to her advantage. Klaus then took over the story and continued on through the other guardians they had been sent to afterwards, Uncle Monty, Aunt Josephine, and even the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill; making sure not to spare the gruesome details of what happened at each of these locations. Lizzie couldn't believe her father had once been hypnotized!

Quigley spoke up for a moment to mention that it was just after the Baudelaires went to live with Josephine after Monty's death that Jacques Snicket left him to hide in Monty's house while he investigated things. These details were crucial after all. Then came a much brighter part of their story: the Baudelaires meeting the Quagmires at Prufrock. Duncan and Violet smiled at each other when they told how they had met. Nikki couldn't believe how simple her parents' first meeting had been; she always assumed it was something more romantic. But no, they had met because the Baudelaires were being bullied by an awful girl named Carmelita Spats, and Duncan had kindly stopped her, and brought them over to sit with them at lunch. Klaus and Isadora had met then as well, and Lizzie wasn't sure but she thought that perhaps her mama and papa's meeting was love at first sight based on how happily they talked about it.

But everywhere they went Count Olaf followed them, so he had showed up at that dreadful school too, after eleven days without him. He forced the Baudelaires to run laps every night for nine days straight until finally Duncan and Isadora made a plan to help their dear friends and go in disguise in their place on the tenth night. "How brave," The children had commented. Violet and Klaus smiled at their significant others at the comment and voiced their agreement. The children shared looks of dread as they explained what happened the following day: Olaf kidnapped Duncan and Isadora. The Baudelaires were sent to live on Dark Avenue with the Squalor family. They found the Quagmires but ended up getting separated from them once more by Olaf trying to auction them off inside a red herring statue. The children's jaws dropped when they heard the part about Esmé Squalor's betrayal and loyalty to Olaf. "She was your guardian!"

Quigley spoke up once more and said that at this point Jacques hadn't returned to him since leaving to investigate Paltryville. He then explained that while the Baudelaires moved to the Village of Four Devotees, Uncle Monty's house was burned down by some mystery person. He escaped through the trap door under the library, as he had done when his house was burned down, and the tunnel led him to Dr. Orwell's office. He then went through Finite Forest where he met up with the Snow Scouts and started traveling with them in disguise. Violet explained how they found Duncan and Isadora trapped inside Fowl Fountain. At this point the Baudelaires had been framed for murdering Jacques Snicket, who Olaf had convinced everyone was actually him, and the Quagmires were framed as accomplices.

Nikki couldn't help giggling when her mother mentioned a certain D.Q+V.B carving that they had found inside the red herring statue while looking for them, causing Duncan to blush a bit at the memory. They explained that the five of them escaped the village in a fire truck and continued the rest of the story together, rather than apart. The children looked absolutely horrified at the tale of their 3 day stay at Heimlich Hospital. Nikki especially! Both her parents almost got their heads cut off! But then came a miracle: Kit Snicket. After Olaf set the hospital on fire, Kit took the Baudelaires and Quagmires in her taxi and dropped them off on the trail leading to Mount Fraught, the tallest of the Mortmain Mountains. The whole time the adults were telling the story they kept in the details about V.F.D. that Duncan and Isadora had managed to get in their precious notebooks. There was no way they could tell the story without those details.

Kit and Olivia Caliban had set up an escape plan for the Baudelaires and Quagmires. Kit sent them to find the V.F.D. Headquarters in the mountains while Olivia kept Olaf distracted at Caligari Carnival for them to get a head start. The children were overjoyed to hear how Duncan and Isadora reunited with Quigley in the ruins of the Headquarters. They told how the six of them climbed Mount Fraught together and met Jacqueline the next day. She helped them sail a boat down the Stricken Stream to reach the sea so they could board a submarine called the Queequeg. The children were saddened to hear of the tragic fate of Olivia Caliban, who was murdered by Esmé Squalor by shoving her into a pit of starving lions. Olaf had learned of their escape plan and was on his way to the Headquarters thinking that was where they were at the time.

Once the Baudelaires and the reunited Quagmire triplets boarded the Queequeg, Quigley and Fiona explained that this was where they had met. Sam looked happy and a bit grossed out at how his parents talked about their romantic first meeting, while Nikki and Lizzie thought it was sweet.

The Queequeg took them safely to Briny Beach where Quigley and Fiona had to temporarily part ways, as they were supposed to go with Kit to a safe house after this. Fiona went with her stepfather to Hotel Denouement for the V.F.D. meeting instead, and explained that her brother Fernald had been working as an inside man for Olaf. He was the man with hooks instead of hands that Nikki and Lizzie were shocked to hear had been related to her all along. Sam sat in a stunned silence as he learned of his uncle's true story from his mother. Fernald had betrayed Olaf to protect Fiona, by altering his course and making sure that he didn't get anywhere in time to find the orphans.

While the Baudelaires and Quagmires were at the safe house, Kit and the other volunteers held a secret meeting at Hotel Denouement. Olaf attended the meeting, and Fernald showed his loyalty to his family by announcing his betrayal. The meeting was actually a red herring: the true meeting had taken place shortly after Kit left the children on the mountain trail and it was about how to deal with Olaf and his associates. This meeting had been a public execution for Olaf's crimes. He would never hurt anyone else ever again. Needless to say, the children felt their hearts lighten immensely that such a cruel man was gone from the world.

They finished their tale by telling the best part of all: the aftermath. Kit had set them up to live at a different boarding school called Whitmore Academy; the very school that Aunt Sunny currently attended. Fiona explained that she left her father's service to join them for a normal life, with Quigley of course. And then they explained a final detail that they had left out until now: Kit Snicket having her baby Beatrice, who was named after the Baudelaires' deceased mother. The children knew Beatrice Snicket as Aunt Sunny's best friend and were delighted to hear how she fit in the story. The seven of them lived at the school until they graduated and obtained the rights to their respective family fortunes.

"And that kids," Violet finished with a smile, "Is how we ended up together."

"When we were on this adventure together," Duncan said, "We all agreed that we never wanted to be separated again. I told Violet that we'd do this together."

"Together to the end," Violet replied, using those secret words that only they understood.

"Violet and Duncan got married first at the age of 20," Isadora said smiling, "I caught the bouquet at their wedding! Klaus and I were married the next year."

"And I caught the bouquet at her wedding," Fiona chuckled, "Quigley and I got married a year after that."

"Then the following year we had you guys," Klaus explained.

Violet put a hand on Nikki's shoulder, "You were born first. We named you after my favorite inventor Nikola Tesla. Your middle name comes from the woman who would've been your grandmother, Karen Quagmire."

"Lizzie, you were named after your mother's middle name, Elizabeth," Klaus said, "We picked your middle name from a book I read; Leslie."

"Sam you were named after my mother Samantha and your grandfather Captain John Widdershins," Fiona said.

"So what's in those safes that you won't let us open," Nikki asked.

"Our old commonplace books," Duncan answered, "They were necessary to our survival when we were on the run from Olaf. They hold crucial V.F.D. information and they're _not_ going to leave those safes, understand?"

"Kit and Dewey let us leave the organization without forcing us to join their ranks," Violet explained, "We don't want that dangerous life for you kids. Our families didn't either, they wanted out of the organization themselves and didn't tell us their secrets to keep us safe."

"So remember, everything we just told you is our story. It's only for us you understand? Family only," Duncan said, "Don't tell anyone."

The kids agreed to this. They had just been told about a secret organization after all. And with their parents not being involved in it any longer, they weren't allowed to actually discuss it with anyone. The only reason they told the kids this story was because they wanted them to know the truth. The truth was something that had been denied the Baudelaire/Quagmire family by their parents before them for their own safety. And it ended up failing them in the end. But now with this new generation, the united families would raise their kids open and honestly. They could only hope Kit wouldn't be too upset about this night if they ever got to speak to her again. They explained that they weren't allowed to contact other volunteers anymore since they're not part of the group; Beatrice Snicket was not a volunteer so she was able to stay in their lives. It would be devastating if V.F.D. enemies gained knowledge on their existence.

As the adults put their kids to be that night in their respective houses, they all felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders from having shared their history. Nikki thought her parents' love story was very romantic. Lizzie couldn't stop smiling as she went to bed that night dreaming about possibly meeting her own special someone in a sweet way like her parents had met. Sam wasn't much of a romantic, but he loved the story all the same; especially the part about how his uncle protected his mother so fiercely despite being a bad guy for so long. He couldn't wait to talk to him about it when they visited next.

The truth had been let out at last, and the Baudelaire/Quagmire family slept a lot easier that night, and for many nights afterwards, because of it.

 **~The End!**

 **Obvious plot with this one; it's just the family finally deciding to be honest with their children about their strange and troubled history, and the kids accepting it. It's something that simply had to come up eventually and this is the result. I opted to not have the story told in actual dialogue as I thought it would get too boring.**


	9. Anniversary

**It's a special occasion tonight; begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

Six year old Nikki Quagmire rolled over in her bed staring up at the ceiling in mild frustration.

"I hate not being able to sleep," She muttered quietly.

She glanced at her alarm clock; just past midnight. She was supposed to be asleep an hour ago. Her parents would be upset if she woke up late tomorrow. She wondered if her cousins were awake too in their houses. Lizzie was probably up reading again with a flashlight under her pillow. Sam was most likely out cold by now; it never took long for him to shut down for the night. Nikki sat up in bed clutching her Winnie the Pooh doll to her chest. She grabbed her nearby bathrobe off the wall hangar and put it on over her pajamas. She slipped out of bed and stepped lightly across the room and out into the hall.

She looked down the hall to see her parents' bedroom door was open. Perhaps they're still awake, she thought briefly. She tip-toed down the stairs and went into the kitchen for a drink. As she sipped her small glass of water quietly she noticed the light in the living room was on. She could also hear something from the room causing her curiosity to rise. Stepping carefully into the doorway, making sure she wasn't able to be seen just in case she got in trouble, she peered into the room.

Her parents, Duncan and Violet Quagmire, were slow dancing in the room to some soft, instrumental music playing from the nearby stereo. The lights were dimmed as the two adults swayed together romantically. Nikki felt a smile cross her face. Unlike most kids her age, she rather liked seeing her parents show each other affection. It was perfectly normal for grown-ups to do stuff like that. Kissing, hugging, saying "I love you," it was all par for the course for a married couple. Seeing how much her parents loved each other often made her wonder if she would ever have that kind of love someday. Before she could think about it further, she heard her parents start talking.

"You know we could've waited until tomorrow," Violet said as she stared into her husband's eyes.

Duncan shrugged, "Why put it off? I wanted to celebrate while we're able to be alone."

Violet giggled and gave him a soft kiss, "You dork."

"Hey last time I checked, I was _your_ dork thank you very much!"

"I know, but you're still a dork."

"The dork you married."

Violet grinned, "My dear journalist."

"My lovely inventor."

There was a pause in the conversation for a moment as the two shared another kiss.

"So, do you think Klaus and Isadora are celebrating right now too?"

"Hey, she's still my sister! I don't want to think about what they're doing for this special occasion."

"It is a special occasion indeed."

 _"Special occasion,"_ Nikki wondered internally, _"What are they celebrating?"_

"I did get you something though," Duncan said with a charming smile, "Would you like to open your present now?"

Violet gaped at him, "Yes!"

Duncan let go of her and strode over to the back shelf and pulled out a small box covered in messy red wrapping paper. He handed it to his wife who sat down on the couch and eagerly opened it. Duncan sat down beside her; staring at his wife with his charming smile as she opened her gift. Violet's jaw dropped when she opened the box.

"It's beautiful," She pulled out a sapphire pendant necklace, "Is it one of yours?"

"Yeah; look in the box," Duncan said.

She looked back inside and pulled out a small, decorative, metal plaque that apparently had words carved into it, she read them aloud, "For sapphires we are held in here. Only you can end our fear."

Duncan ran a hand through his hair, "I know it's Isadora's poem but-" He was interrupted as Violet grabbed him and kissed him passionately.

When they pulled apart she grinned at him, "It's wonderful, Duncan! I love it!"

He smiled, "Yeah well I had to give you something special. After all you did end my fear. There's something else on the back of that pendant."

She turned it over and smirked, "D.Q+V.Q."

He wrapped his arm around her, "Just like the engravings on our wedding rings."

Violet's cheeks turned a little pink, "You thought of everything didn't you?"

"Of course I did, love. You're worth it."

She kissed him again before bending down and pulling a small box out from under the couch, "I got you something too."

Duncan opened the gift eagerly; he pulled a small red key chain out of the box and smirked at his wife, "A red herring chain?"

Violet giggled, "What do you think?"

He set the gift aside and pulled her close, "I think you deserve to be punished for that one," He started kissed her neck affectionately causing her to laugh more.

The two set aside their gifts and wrapped their arms around each other tightly.

 _"We found the red herring statue in the saloon so we knew you were close."_

 _"Uh, you didn't happen to see anything written inside?"_

 _"Didn't have time to examine it closely."_

"Happy anniversary, Duncan."

"Happy anniversary, Violet."

Nikki's eyes widened in realization as she watched the scene between her parents; today was the anniversary of when her mother saved her father from being kidnapped. It was the day that they united to go on the rest of their past adventures together. The day that marked them vowing to stay together forever, and the day that they say they truly started to fall for each other. She briefly wondered if Uncle Klaus and Auntie Isadora were celebrating right now too, as they had the same reasons to do so. The small girl smiled brightly. Her mother had been right earlier; it was truly a special occasion indeed.

And the next day Nikki would catch her parents giving each other small secret smiles in front of her that they thought she wouldn't notice. She also saw how her Uncle Klaus and Auntie Isadora smiled knowingly at each other. Isadora seemed to be very into her poetry that day and Klaus hung on to every word she said; looking at her as if she were an angel. Nikki explained to Lizzie what she had seen her parents doing the previous night and Lizzie told her how her parents celebrated a very similar way; with gifts and poems and all kinds of open affection. That day the two sets of parents left their respective daughters to stay with Uncle Quigley and Aunt Fiona while they went out to a special dinner for just the four of them to celebrate this very happy, special, anniversary.

Strangely enough, this anniversary also fell on Uncle Klaus' birthday.

 **~The End**

 **This one is much simpler than my last. I think I over saturated it with fluff, but I love these couples so much it doesn't matter!**


	10. Triplets' Talk

**This is a simple one shot about what I think Duncan and Isadora were talking about during their time in the elevator shaft. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Isadora, wake up!"

Isadora felt her eyes flutter open at the sound of her brother's voice. The two sat up and observed their surroundings. They were in an empty elevator shaft, and locked in a cage. The only source of light in the room was a small electric candle on the floor nearby. Isadora felt tears fill her eyes, and Duncan hugged her tightly trying to calm her down.

"We failed them..."

"We didn't fail them, sis."

"Yes we did," She said pulling away to look at him, "Duncan look around! We said nothing would go wrong, and now we've been kidnapped and we're trapped down here."

Duncan felt his heart clench up as his sister started crying. He hated to see Isadora upset. He especially hated it when he couldn't help her feel better. He had a lot of days like that in their 3 semesters together at Prufrock with all the bullying they received on a daily basis. He was worried too. Hell, he was scared to death. But as the oldest triplet, by ten minutes, he vowed to remain strong for his sister's sake. He patted her back comfortingly.

"Izzie, we will get out of this. I'm sure the Baudelaires will find us in no time."

She looked at him and tried to wipe away her tears, "You're sure?"

Duncan smiled faintly, "Yeah, you saw how torn apart they looked when they ran after Olaf's car to save us."

Isadora pulled the spyglass half out of her pocket, "This... This was Klaus' half... I don't know how I'll be able to face him after this."

Duncan reached into his jacket and pulled out his dark green notebook, "Izzie, this right here is how we face them after what happened. I wrote down everything in The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations in my journalist notebook. And while you were asleep I wrote down some plan details from Olaf's henchmen when they came by to check on us earlier."

He reached over to the back corner of the cage and grabbed a small item catalog that had been placed there, "The white faced women dropped this when they were here. I pretended to still be asleep so I could hear the plan. There's going to be an auction in a few days where they sell items that are "'in.' Apparently, we're under Dark Avenue, I remember our parents mentioning that it's the most fashionable street in the city. Olaf is going to put us inside one of the items for the auction and sell us to one of his henchmen so he can smuggle us out of town. They don't seem to have a destination yet though. And there's a manhunt going on for Olaf which is why he has to wait until the auction."

Isadora smiled a little at him, "You managed to get all that information? Damn, that's impressive."

He opened his notebook and began flipping through pages randomly, "Hey, I'm still a journalist; I take notes on everything remember? For example, on this page I made the note, 'Isadora decided to kiss Klaus-'"

She shoved him playfully, her cheeks turning red, "It was just on the cheek! You don't have to get protective... besides he won't like me that way after what happened."

Duncan smirked, "Ah, so you do like him that way? Got it, I'll add that one to the record."

Her face turned darker red in the dim light, "Ok that was mean!"

He chuckled, "Sorry for teasing you. I just figured it might help lighten the mood. Besides I didn't need confirmation anyway. Last time I saw your notebook, the name Klaus Baudelaire had somehow made it into a lot of couplets."

She pulled out her own pitch black notebook and clutched it to her chest while looking at the floor shyly; after a brief silence she spoke quietly, "You're not going to hurt him... are you?"

He blinked in surprise and smiled at her, "Of course not. Klaus is my best friend, and he's the only guy in the world I'd trust with you. I know he'll treat you right. All he has to do is respect you and keep you safe, and there won't be any problems from me. But if he does hurt you, I'll have to kill him."

The poet smiled gratefully at her brother, "Thanks for the support, Duncan. But I'm not sure if he even likes me that way..."

He chuckled again, "Are you sure? Because this particular note says otherwise."

He turned to a specific page and showed it to her causing her to smile at the memory described on the paper.

 **~Flashback**

 _"I think Mr. Remora just went through a pretty bad break up. His last 8 stories today have been about his miserable love life," Violet joked as they ate their lunch._

 _"Mrs. Bass would have been pissed," Isadora said, "She must have the worst romantic luck because every time someone mentions relationship issues in class she gets super mad."_

 _"She gets so mad she lectures us for an hour instead of having us do her pathetic excuse for schoolwork," Klaus added._

 _"Perhaps she's just bitter," Duncan suggested casually._

 _"Good morning cakesniffers!"_

 _The five children held back groans as Carmelita walked up to their table. She smirked and placed her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly._

 _"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I just wanted to say that none of you will have to worry about relationship issues yourselves. Especially you, Isadora, you're so ugly no guy would ever want to date you!"_

 _Isadora frowned, and Duncan glared at the annoying girl. However, before anyone could respond to the insult, Carmelita shrieked out in pain. Sunny had bitten her hand._

 _"Bosh'tet," Sunny said angrily._

 _"Sunny Veronica Baudelaire! Wherever did you learn that kind of language," Violet asked her eyes wide with shock._

 _Sunny looked down guiltily and mumbled, "Olaf..."_

 _"Well don't say it again. You can swear when you're older," Violet replied._

 _Carmelita was holding her hand against her chest as it was now red, and possibly bleeding, from Sunny's sharp teeth, "The stupid baby orphan bit me!"_

 _"Maybe you should think twice before you call someone ugly. Now go away Carmelita," Klaus said, calmly while glaring at her._

 _Carmelita gaped at him for a moment before stomping away in her loud tap shoes. Isadora looked down at her food, avoiding eye contact with the others and feeling very self conscious._

 _"Thanks for biting her Sunny. She deserved that," Duncan said with a smile. Sunny nodded at him in response._

 _Violet gave Isadora a sympathetic look, "Don't listen to her, Izzie. She's just a jerk."_

 _"It's ok Violet," Isadora replied, still avoiding her gaze, "I'm used to it. She always tells me that. This is just the first time she's done it in front of you guys."_

 _"Ahem, uh Isadora," Klaus spoke up getting her attention, she glanced up at him, "If it helps, I think you're beautiful, and any guy would be lucky to date you..."_

 _He quickly looked back down at his tray as a deep blush crossed his face. He didn't speak for the rest of lunch. Violet and Duncan smirked at each other, and Sunny rolled her eyes. Isadora simply looked back at her own tray with a shy smile as her insides fluttered at the compliment. All she could bring herself to do was mutter a quiet "thank you" for his kind words._

 **~End flashback**

"That was the moment I noticed he liked you too," Duncan said.

Isadora was blushing, "He could have just been trying to cheer me up."

Duncan rolled his eyes, "I don't think so. But I can't get you to listen so we'll just wait and see."

There was a brief silence before Isadora asked slyly, "Well, what about your crush on Violet?"

Duncan blushed and responded hastily, "I don't have a crush on Violet!"

She raised a brow at him and took his notebook out of his hands swiftly flipping through its pages. He tried to get it back but she held it out of his reach as she looked for a specific page.

"Aha! Here they are; your notes on Violet Baudelaire! Let's list them shall we? 'Beautiful, intelligent, creative, inventor, passionate, caring, loyal, kind and wonderful...' the list goes on. Would you like me to continue? Because at the bottom of this page I see a little drawing that says D.Q+V.B. I'm sure she'd love to hear about that."

Duncan snatched his notebook from her; his face was now very red as he shakily replied, "Please don't tell her..."

"I won't, but you should. Besides, I see the way she looks at you. A girl can always tell when another girl likes a guy. And at the recital after Olaf arrived I saw you holding her hand those whole 6 hours. She didn't seem to mind that; she looked happy about it. Violet definitely likes you."

He looked away awkwardly and muttered, "I hope you're right."

The two adjusted their sitting positions in their small cage as they looked up into the blackness of the elevator shaft.

"Why didn't you tell her anyway?"

Duncan sighed, "Cause Quigley was the confident one. He was the one who got all the girls, remember? I'm just the dork that's too shy to admit my feelings."

Isadora nodded, "Yeah I lost a lot of friends because he would date them and then break up with them like 2 weeks later. They didn't want to be around me because it'd be too awkward to be around him."

"And a few of those girls I was interested in too so I never had a chance again after he dumped them... Guess it comes with being cursed with the same rugged good looks. As if Quigley thought he was the better looking one," Duncan scoffed, "Yeah right."

"Of course, we all agreed I'm the best looking one," Isadora smiled.

Duncan returned her smile, "Yeah you are, Izzie. And I'm sure that Klaus will agree."

The two continued gazing up through the bars of their cage, thinking about the ones they had fallen for. Duncan thought about how happy Violet will be when she sees his notes on V.F.D. He silently hoped that Isadora had been right about the beautiful inventor returning his feelings. He remembered their last night at Prufrock before doing that brave deed that had landed them kidnapped in the first place. Violet had told him that they could still back out, but Duncan calmly refused. It was his idea; he wanted to help and this had been the answer. When she had tried to tell him something about if anything went wrong, he just held her hand and promised her nothing would go wrong.

Isadora opened her notebook to reveal several couplets that had been written about Klaus. She smiled fondly at them, and remembered the sight of his dark, shy, but warm eyes. His eyes brought her comfort, something she hadn't truly felt since the fire. She trusted him beyond all reason. He was the first boy at that school to show her any kindness. The poet silently prayed that her handsome researcher would come find them soon. Their silent prayers were suddenly answered when they heard three loud screams coming from the shaft.

One was more feminine, one was more masculine, and one sounded like a small baby. Duncan and Isadora stood up to see a small, makeshift hot-air balloon touch down in front of their cage. And inside the basket were exactly the three people they were hoping to see.

"You found us," Duncan said shakily while staring at Violet as if she were an angel.

"I've never been happier to see anybody in my life," Klaus said breathlessly as he stared at Isadora.

The Baudelaires stepped out of their balloon and hugged Duncan and Isadora through the cage bars. Sunny gave a big toothy grin as she watched her siblings embrace their "not-so-secret" loves. The triplets quickly explained Olaf's plan and how they found the secret book that answered all their questions before being kidnapped.

"Where is he taking you after he smuggles you out of the city," Violet asked keeping her hand firmly locked with Duncan's.

"We don't know," Duncan handed her the item catalog, "We only know we'll be stuffed into one of these items, but we're not sure which one."

Violet flipped through the book quickly before stopping on a particular section, "Lot 50: V.F.D."

She showed it to everyone; the item appeared to just be a cardboard box with the letters V.F.D. written on the side.

"Well that's a little too convenient," Klaus noted, "You're sure it's that one?"

"It's the one that makes the most sense. The only other item big enough would probably be lot 49: this giant salmon statue painted red. But why would Olaf want to use that? It's way too conspicuous and flashy."

Isadora nodded, "You're right, it has to be the box."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Klaus reached inside the balloon basket and pulled out a small bag; he handed it to Isadora through the cage bars, "Olaf threatened to let you guys starve if we try to tell our new guardians who he is; so we brought you some food just to be on the safe side."

The two triplets smiled, "Thank you."

"Nada," Sunny said, which meant, "No problem, I made those sandwiches myself."

"Where are you guys staying now," Duncan asked, as Isadora handed Klaus the spyglass half from her pocket.

"We were taken in by Jerome Squalor and his wife Esmé; we live in the penthouse of this apartment building. They don't have a spyglass, that I could find at least, but Jerome mentioned that he knew our parents back in the day. He said our mother used to always tell him he wasn't brave enough."

Isadora snickered, "Oh, you live on Dark Avenue? Is that why you guys are wearing those ridiculous pinstripe suits?"

Klaus chuckled, "Yeah, Esmé insisted. She's completely devoted to being 'in' so we have to look the part too if we want to live with them. Apparently, orphans are 'in' right now too, which is why she adopted us."

"Well when you get you guys out of there Jerome says you can come live with us too," Violet said.

"That sounds wonderful, but how are you going to get us out of here," Duncan asked.

Violet attempted to pick the lock on the cage while Isadora explained how the completed spyglass works. Klaus turned it to the fire function and attempted to burn the lock off but it wasn't strong enough. Violet looked around and picked up a scrap piece of newspaper off the floor and showed off that heat from the spyglass made it float.

"We can use the heat to make our balloon float back up the shaft. I need some tools to break open this lock," Violet said as she and her siblings started getting into their balloon.

"You're leaving," Duncan asked shakily.

"Only for a minute," Violet replied.

"We'll be back shortly," Klaus added.

"And when we do save you we promise we won't let anything separate us ever again," Violet said with a sincere smile.

The two triplets smiled at them. The Baudelaires left in their invention, but it burned out when they reached the top, letting the rest of it fall down to the bottom by the cage. Duncan and Isadora sighed with relief that their dear companions made it to the top of the shaft anyway. They quietly sat down and ate the meal they had been left with. It was only hours later that the white faced women came and stuffed them within their new prison for the auction. Unfortunately, the children had been wrong about the item after all. It was the red herring statue.

But as Duncan and Isadora were carried off inside it strapped to the top of Olaf's car the next morning, they felt less scared than they had previously. Because they knew the Baudelaires would come save them no matter what. Duncan reminded himself of this by writing something special inside that statue. The very same thing he had written secretly in his notebook: D.Q+V.B. Isadora scoffed at him for doing this at such an inappropriate time, but to be perfectly honest, she had intended to write a message of her own as well once he was finished. (A message that was listed inside her treasured notebook: K.B+I.Q.) But she didn't get a chance to before they were taken out of the statue after a long car ride and shoved inside a secret fountain door.

And so the two triplets would have to wait another four days before reuniting with the Baudelaires, and escaping the Village of Fowl Devotees permanently by riding off together in a fire truck. Just as Violet had promised, they would go on the rest of their adventure together rather than apart.

 **~The End!**

 **If you've never played the Mass Effect games, Bosh'tet is a Quarian swear word. It can mean several things, but in this instance Sunny meant, "Bitch." Just thought I'd explain that in case you were curious.**


	11. Thanksgiving Part 1

**The family wasn't prepared for this. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Sunny, is Beatrice coming home with you for Thanksgiving," Violet asked over the phone.

"Not this time, Violet," Sunny replied a bit hastily.

"Oh, that's too bad, the kids love to see Bea. I'll let everyone know."

"Well... Violet I am bringing someone, just not Bea. She's staying with her family this weekend. She says her uncle Lemony and aunt Moxie were able to make it to dinner this year after how busy he's been. And Kit wants the whole family together for the occasion. Frank and Dewey are taking the weekend off from the Hotel business as usual, but this is one of those rare times that she gets both sides of her family to be home for the holiday."

"Well, that's wonderful to hear," Violet started, "Wait a minute, you are bringing someone?"

There was a short pause and Violet swore she heard hushed voices talking away from the phone speaker before Sunny replied, "Uh, yeah I am... Is that alright?"

"Of course it is. I'll tell the others, and we'll save a seat for them at the table. Are they staying over with you? You know you're staying at Klaus and Izzie's this time, because you stayed with me and Duncan last year."

"Yeah they will be," Sunny replied again sounding a bit on edge.

Violet grew a bit concerned at her sister's tone, but kept her cheerful voice as she asked, "So, who's coming with you?"

Violet nearly dropped her phone in shock when Sunny answered the question.

 **~Later that day, at the estate**

Violet had called an emergency family meeting in Duncan's office to talk about the newly discovered holiday dinner plans. The six adults gathered in the room waiting to hear what was so important. The kids were in their respective rooms occupying their time with their own activities. Violet was pacing around the room as everyone watched her in confusion.

"Violet, is everything ok," Duncan asked, worried for his wife's behavior.

The inventor sighed, "Yes and at the same time no. I'll start with the good news. Beatrice isn't coming with Sunny this year. Dewey and Frank are taking the weekend off from the Hotel, and Kit's brother Lemony and his wife are able to be in town for the holiday this year. Kit is insisting the whole family be together for the occasion."

"Oh, that's great," Isadora said smiling, "It's nice to know that Bea gets to be with her whole family this year."

"Then what's the bad news," Klaus asked.

Violet bit her lip nervously, "Sunny is bringing someone else with her instead to meet us. Everyone might want to sit down for this; it's her new 'friend' named Trevor Macready."

Everyone froze in stunned silence. Violet examined their reactions. Duncan and Quigley both looked dumbfounded as if they had just been slapped. Isadora and Fiona's jaws were hanging open in shock. Klaus looked like he was reevaluating all his life decisions in a single instant.

"What," Klaus breathed out after several moments.

Violet nodded, "Sunny is bringing home a boy to meet the family."

"Klaus, honey, are you ok, you look pale," Isadora asked, patting her husband's arm.

"Well... this is surprising news," Quigley said.

"Indeed, I was starting to wonder when this might happen," Fiona added.

"Violet could you explain exactly what is going on here," Duncan asked.

Violet sighed, "Ok, Sunny has been seeing this boy for a couple weeks now and before they start anything too serious she wants him to meet the family. She's 15, guys; we knew this would happen eventually. She asked if he could join us for dinner and stay over the long weekend and I told her it was ok."

"You said it was ok," Klaus asked sharply.

"Yes I did! What did you want me to say?"

"Well if it were me I would have said no!"

"Klaus, we talked about this! We said we'd be open to the idea of Sunny dating as long as we approve of the guy. And that's why she's bringing him over this weekend; so we can meet him. She says he's fine, but if we don't approve, or if he doesn't treat us right, then she'll break it off. She won't tolerate him treating her family poorly."

The family members all shared glances with each other. The six of them had practically raised Sunny together. She was only nine when they had their own respective children. Part of them assumed that Sunny would stay single for the sake of her own career pursuits and for the fact that her nieces and nephew were the only children she needed in her life. But she was still young, and perhaps this boy she was seeing wouldn't be so bad. After all, the six of them had started relationships at young ages too and they had stood the test of time; telling Sunny that she couldn't date, at the age of 15, would be extremely hypocritical.

That didn't help their level of unease at the situation though. The Baudelaire/Quagmire family had some reason to be untrusting of this potential addition to their lives. Violet explained that Sunny would tell them more about Trevor after they meet him. It wasn't exactly comforting to know so little about someone that they were supposed to trust was a good person. Not to mention the possibility of him being a volunteer, or even a villain; this put them extremely on edge. They could only hope that this boy turned out well, for their sake and Sunny's.

 **~Whitmore Academy**

"So, did you talk to your sister," Beatrice asked as she packed up her suitcase.

Sunny sighed, "Yeah she nearly dropped the phone when I said I was bringing a boy with me."

Trevor was sitting on the couch beside Sunny in the dorm that she and Beatrice shared. He was about a head taller than her, and had messy dark brown hair and blue eyes.

He gave a half smile before speaking, "I'm sure your family will like me just fine."

"They like me, they'll probably like you too, Trev," Beatrice noted, "But they've known me for my whole life."

"It's just a new experience for them, that's all," Sunny started, "I mean I've never brought a boy home before."

Beatrice shrugged, "Eh, they'll get over it."

Trevor patted Sunny's arm, "I'll be good, I promise, but I don't see what the big deal is."

Sunny and Beatrice glanced at each other. They knew the answer to that even though it wasn't a question. Trevor had never shown any signs of being a volunteer, but that didn't mean that Sunny wasn't still apprehensive about bringing a partner into her life. If it turned out that he was a volunteer, or heaven forbid a villain, then she would be putting herself and her family at a very dangerous risk. Beatrice was not a volunteer like her parents; she was actually studying to be a bat trainer, just like the woman she shared her namesake with.

Trevor was in culinary training like Sunny; it was actually how they had met. Most boys were intimidated by Sunny's unnaturally sharp canine teeth, but he wasn't. He thought she was perfectly nice and very pretty, and they had been seeing each other for several weeks. Sunny had told him that the only way they could take their relationship to a serious level was if her family approves of him. He wasn't against this, but it seemed strange that she was so insistent on the idea. Even Beatrice agreed with her for some reason. Of course Beatrice was Sunny's best friend, and a close personal friend of her family from what he had gathered.

"Sunny, I have to go talk to my teachers to make sure I don't have to do any unnecessary school work over the weekend," Beatrice said, as she closed her suitcase and started walking towards the door, "Behave you two!" She winked at them before leaving.

Sunny smiled at Trevor, "Since you're going with me, I should explain a bit about my family before you meet them."

He put his arm around her, "Alright, what do I need to know?"

"I already told you that my parents were killed in a house fire when I was only a year old. I was raised by my two siblings."

"Yeah that must have been hard. I at least knew my parents before they died."

She patted his hand, "I'm fine, Trev, I miss them, but we've moved past it after all these years."

Trevor reached into his school uniform jacket and pulled out a gold notebook and pen, "Tell me about your family so I can take notes for my commonplace book."

She nodded, "First there's my oldest sibling Violet Quagmire, she's our family matriarch. She's married to the oldest of the Quagmire triplets, Duncan. Are you with me so far?"

"Violet Quagmire, wife of Duncan Quagmire, I'm assuming her surname was previously Baudelaire," He mumbled as he wrote, "Yep, wait Duncan Quagmire? The famous journalist from the improved _Daily Punctilio_ is your brother-in-law?"

"That's right," She replied with a smile, "He and Violet also run our printing business downtown, Quagmire-Baudelaire Incorporated. Ever since the newspaper got taken over by Moxie Mallahan he's been eagerly working there; it's nice to see how much it has changed since they got some sense knocked into them. Violet is an inventor with her own studio and everything. The printing business is mostly just for extra money. Violet and Duncan are the owners, but it's mainly run by the staff. My sister even built the printing press herself as a promise to Duncan."

"She's an inventor? That's cool; I'd love to see her work. I read the paper a lot since it changed so I've seen quite a few of Duncan's articles."

"They have a daughter named Nikki."

"Oh, you have a niece?"

"Two actually," Sunny added, "Next is my second oldest sibling Klaus Baudelaire; he's married to Duncan's triplet sister Isadora."

Trevor's pen stopped writing for a second and he gave her a weird look, "Your brother married your sister-in-law?"

Sunny blinked in surprise, she had forgotten how strange that might sound to people on first hearing, "Yes, Violet met Duncan the same time that Klaus met Isadora. I was only one, but I could tell it was love at first sight for my siblings and the two triplets. Klaus and Isadora have a daughter named Elizabeth, but we call her Lizzie. She's my other niece."

He quietly accepted this information and wrote it down. Sunny continued her explanation.

"Finally there's the middle triplet Quigley Quagmire, he's married to an old friend of ours named Fiona Quagmire. They have a son named Sam; he's my nephew-in-law, because he's not related to me by blood, but I just call him my nephew."

He finished writing, "Ok I got all the names down. Tell me about the others, what do they do for a living?"

"Klaus is a researcher at a center downtown. Isadora is a poetry teacher for a local university, Quigley is a cartographer; he uses our printing business to make his maps. Fiona is a mycologist she works at the local science lab. Nikki wants to be an artist someday; she always carries her sketchbook with her. Lizzie loves to read almost as much as her parents do; she wants to be a librarian. Sam wants to be a marine biologist someday. The kids are all 6 years old."

Trevor smiled, "That's quite a diverse family you have."

Sunny nodded, "My family is very close. They all live in their own houses on a huge estate. I've already told you how I have a wealthy family. The Quagmires inherited a fortune of sapphires when their parents were killed in a house fire when they were young. They lost their parents a year before we lost ours. Fiona is the only one with a living parent, her stepfather Captain Widdershins; we don't resent her for it, though."

"Captain?"

"He's a submarine captain," Sunny added.

Trevor nodded, "Oh, she was raised military?"

Sunny shook her head and hastily corrected him, "No it's privately owned. Her parents were wealthy too, but her mother died in a diving incident when she was young. Their submarine is always on the move, and her stepfather and older brother are too busy offshore to join us this year."

Trevor quickly added this information to his notes, "What's her brother's name?"

"His name is Fernald."

She got up from the couch and went to pack up her things for the long weekend. She and Trevor were going to stay the whole four days at the estate and they needed to be prepared. As she checked over the things in her suitcase she felt something curl around her leg. She grinned toothily as she looked down.

"Hello, Monty," She said leaning down to pet the creature, "Did you get out of your cage again?"

Wrapped around her leg was her beloved pet snake named Monty, after Uncle Monty. It had taken ages for the family to find another of the species called the Incredibly Deadly Viper. Many long hours were spent with Violet and Klaus arguing with the Herpetological Society about finding another of the mysterious species to give to Sunny as a gift. Eventually, the society gave in to their demands and found one of the snakes. Violet and Klaus had managed to convince Principal Whitmore to let her keep it at the school since it was completely harmless and friendly. She had already informed Trevor what happened to her uncle, without too many details of course. He simply knew that he was a herpetologist that had been murdered. And that Dr. Montgomery had been the one to introduce her to her love of snakes.

Monty hissed at her, seemingly asking what he was meant to do while she was away. He had only been with her for about a month now and was still settling into having an owner.

Sunny patted the snake affectionately as it coiled around her; it was still a very large snake despite how much bigger she had gotten since she was last in the presence of one, "Well of course I'm bringing you with us! Otherwise how would you get fed?"

He hissed appreciatively at her in response.

"Good boy," She said, "Now get back in your cage we have to leave tomorrow morning, and I need you to be ready."

She opened up the cage on her table and the snake coiled itself up inside. She locked the cage and heard a soft squeaking sound coming from across the room. On the other side of the living room on a different table sat another cage. This one had a small bat inside it that belonged to Beatrice; it had been a gift from her parents after expressing an interest in being a baticeer and the school had been convinced to allow her to keep it.

"Calm down, Tawni, you're going with Bea and her family, remember?"

The bat squeaked at her in response. Trevor stood from the couch and went to pet the small creature through the cage bars.

"She's certainly anxious," Trevor said.

"She's still getting used to her master. It's a good thing she's not afraid of Monty though."

"Yeah that snake of yours is like a lapdog. He'd never hurt a soul in the world."

"That's the Incredibly Deadly Viper for you," Sunny said with a smirk, "It's the least dangerous and most friendly creature in the whole animal kingdom. Anyway, is your suitcase packed?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah it is. Are you sure that your family is ok with me spending the weekend there? I mean I'd understand if they just want me for dinner then kick me out to a hotel or something."

"Nonsense, Violet said you can sleep on the couch while I take the guest room at Klaus and Izzie's place. Oh, and only family and close friends are allowed to call Isadora 'Izzie.' So, don't do it until she tells you it's ok."

He nodded, "I'll remember that. Did you tell your family that I'm an orphan too?"

"I didn't," She replied, "I figured that was something that you could tell them on your own."

"I suppose that's fair," He said putting his arm around her waist, "At least I was sent here after my parents died, I was six when it happened, otherwise I would never have met you."

She smiled and hugged him, "I'm glad we know each other now."

He kissed her cheek, "Me too. And I can't wait to meet your family."

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **This will be a multiple part short story; so technically this isn't a one shot I guess. I hope you don't mind that!**


	12. Thanksgiving Part 2

**Part 2 of the story, begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Be careful with Monty's cage, Trev!"

"I'm trying this thing weighs a ton!"

The snake hissed at the insult. Sunny and Trevor carefully lifted the snake's cage into the back of Sunny's car. Trevor tossed their suitcases in the trunk as Sunny secured the cage in the back seat.

"Now, Monty this isn't your first car ride so please stay in your cage until we get there! Once we're there you can play with the kids if you behave."

The snake hissed at his master and seemed to nod in agreement.

"Is that everything," Sunny asked.

"It should be," Trevor answered.

"Oh, my mom is here to pick me up," Beatrice said as a taxi pulled up in the school parking lot.

Sunny waved to Kit before helping Beatrice pick up Tawni's cage, "Can I speak to your mom for a minute?"

Beatrice nodded. Sunny told Trevor to wait in the car while she talked with Kit. Sunny helped Kit load Beatrice's things into the taxi as they talked softly.

"Sunny Baudelaire, it's good to see you all grown up," Kit said with a soft smile.

She was an older woman now, but a proud mother to her 14 year old daughter. Her professional gaze remained, even after years of keeping the world quiet, but her face was still kind.

"It's good to see you, Kit. You look well."

"I feel well, Miss Baudelaire, thank you for noticing."

"Listen I need a quick favor," Sunny started quietly, "My new friend is sitting in my car right now. Could you tell me if he looks familiar at all to any other volunteers?"

Kit nodded and pulled her spyglass out of her dress pocket. She examined him discreetly for a moment before putting it away.

"He doesn't look familiar to me, what's the issue?"

"His name is Trevor Macready; his parents were killed in a house fire when he was six. He's never shown any signs of being a volunteer, but his family was wealthy too. I've been seeing him for a while and I'm bringing him home to meet my family today. I just want to be sure that he isn't potentially dangerous. I like him a lot, and I want to take this somewhere serious. I will break it off if he's a member, or if my family doesn't approve of him."

Kit nodded; she pulled a small notepad out of her purse and wrote down the name, "I'll have Dewey check our files for anyone matching his description. I've never heard the name, and he doesn't resemble anyone I know. I'll send a message with the results strictly to you alone. If you think he could be a volunteer then I'll risk communication for your safety."

Sunny nodded, "Thank you Kit. I'll be on the lookout for your message."

Sunny gave Beatrice a hug before walking back to her car as the taxi drove away.

"So, that was Bea's mom," Trevor asked when Sunny got in the car.

"Yep, Kit Snicket, she didn't take her husband's surname."

Trevor nodded. Sunny started the car and they began their long drive to the family estate.

"So is there anything else about your family I should know before I meet them?"

"I can think of one thing, hold off on the PDA until they're comfortable with you, alright? Violet and Klaus will blow a fuse if you try to kiss me in front of everyone."

Trevor laughed, "Wow, overprotective much?"

Sunny laughed, "Hey these guys raised me! They're allowed to be protective. I promise they won't hurt you though. And another thing, don't swear in front of the kids. We don't let them do it yet."

"Understood, Sunshine," He replied, using his pet name for her; he grabbed her hand as it rested on the gear shift while her other hand was on the wheel, "What else?"

"My siblings and I are allergic to peppermints, and both my nieces inherited the allergy, just a fair warning."

"Got it, non-peppermint candy only for the kids; I'll remember that for later if I need to."

"That should be everything. I hope all this isn't putting too much pressure on you," She squeezed his hand gently.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm pretty excited to be honest. I mean I've had some short term girlfriends in the past, I am only 15, but none of them ever got to this point."

Sunny glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Trevor flushed with embarrassment, "Ok that sounded bad. I mean I've just never been invited home by a girl before that's all. Not that I didn't want to or anything I just never got this far... Alright that didn't sound any better; I'll just shut up for the rest of the ride."

Monty hissed from the back seat. Sunny chuckled, "You got that right Monty; it was a poor choice of words. Just don't say it like that around the family please."

Trevor nodded and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah I'll be careful."

Trevor's mouth fell open in shock when he saw the gorgeous Baudelaire/Quagmire estate. Its three large houses situated together neatly around the driveway. He and Sunny quickly got Monty's cage out of the car along with their bags, but before he could ask what they were doing first-

"Aunt Sunny!"

Sunny smiled widely at the sound of a small girl's voice. Trevor looked up to see a girl with long black hair and green eyes. She grinned and ran up to Sunny who proceeded to lean down to hug her.

"Nikki, there you are! Where are your cousins?"

"Hey guys! Aunt Sunny is here," Nikki called to one of the houses.

Two other kids bolted out of the middle house and ran to hug Sunny. Another girl with long black hair and wide brown eyes, covered by dark-blue rimmed glasses, and a slightly darker skinned boy with messy black hair and green eyes. Trevor smiled fondly at the sight.

 _"Sunshine is pretty good with kids,"_ He thought.

"This is Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam," Sunny introduced by pointing at them, "Kids, this is my friend Trevor."

Trevor leaned down to shake their hands, "Hey Sunny has told me a lot about you guys."

Trevor was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Monty whining from his cage. The three kids crowded around the creature in awe.

"Wow! He's huge," Sam remarked with a smile.

"He looks so friendly though," Lizzie added.

"Oh, Aunt Sunny, can we please play with him?"

Sunny bent down and unlocked the cage door to release the snake, "Alright, Monty you can go play with kids. Just be sure to go back to your cage at bedtime."

Monty hissed appreciatively, and proceeded to playfully lick the kids' faces. Sunny and Trevor picked up the cage and their bags and went into the open door of the middle house on the lot. The two set the cage down on the floor and took off their jackets to hang them up. After setting down their bags the children had run back into the house with Monty following behind; they went into the living room.

Sunny smiled up at Trevor, he was about a head taller than her, "What do you think of the kids so far?"

"They're adorable; and you're really good with them."

"I've had a lot of practice. Come on, everyone else is probably in the kitchen."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the kitchen. Six adults were bustling about the room preparing food and talking. A woman with long ebony hair and dark eyes immediately went up to hug Sunny.

"Sunny's here," She said getting the attention of the others.

A smart looking man with glasses hugged Sunny as well; he looked to be two years younger than the woman. Trevor stood quietly to the side as the other people greeted Sunny. Of them was a slightly darker skinned woman who appeared to be a year older than the first woman with shoulder length raven hair, light blue eyes, and black-rimmed, triangle-shaped glasses. Then there were three people who looked so alike it was almost frightening. Two men, one with neat black hair, and the other with messy unkempt black hair in a different style, and both with green eyes; then there was their obvious triplet sister whose black hair went down over her shoulders and partly fell over her brown eyes. They all appeared to be the same age as the first woman. After a minute, Sunny finally introduced him.

"Everyone this is my guest Trevor," Sunny started gesturing to everyone individually, "This is my sister Violet, my brother Klaus, Violet's husband Duncan, Klaus' wife Isadora, Duncan and Izzie's brother Quigley and his wife Fiona."

Trevor smiled sheepishly as they all turned their attention to him. They appeared to be studying him with curious uncertainty, but they didn't look cold or unwelcoming.

"Sunny why don't you let Violet and Klaus show Trevor around while you help us with the food," Isadora suggested casually.

"Sounds like a great idea, Izzie, you guys need all the help you can get," Sunny joked, as she went to join them at the kitchen counter.

"Hey as long as Quigley isn't cooking I think we'll be fine," Fiona laughed.

"I'm right here sweetheart," Quigley replied pretending to sound hurt at his wife's comment.

"I know, dear," Fiona said, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek.

The cartographer rolled his eyes playfully. Violet and Klaus took Trevor with them out into the hall.

Violet grabbed Sunny's suitcase, "I'll drop this in the guest room," She said before walking off.

"Uh, so where am I staying," Trevor asked.

Klaus smirked, "On the couch. We're not letting you share a room with our baby sister, especially not in my house. You can drop your bag in the living room later; now help me move Monty's cage to the guest room."

The two carefully moved the cage and Violet was waiting for them in the room. They set it down on the nearby desk. Violet set up a heat lamp for the cage that she had apparently installed, and possibly built, herself.

"There we go now the poor creature won't freeze tonight. It's supposed to be pretty chilly these next few days; even with the heat on."

Trevor nodded, "It's nice to meet you two by the way; Sunny has told me a lot about you."

Violet and Klaus looked at each other for a moment before Klaus said, "I hope it was all good things."

"Oh, yeah of course it was! She'd never say anything bad about her family. I have it down here in my commonplace book," Trevor pulled his gold notebook out of his pocket, "I mostly use it to write down recipe ideas cause I'm also studying to be a chef."

Violet smiled softly, "That's great, and if you want to help out in the kitchen you can. I'm sorry if my brother and I come off a little rude. We've just never had our sister bring a date home to meet us, and due to some past events that would take too long to explain right now we have trouble trusting new additions to our lives."

Klaus nodded, "I agree with her. Prove that you are a good match for Sunny, and you won't have any problems from us."

"And we're not the only ones you need to impress. Everyone in this house loves Sunny dearly and we're all going to be extremely upset if you hurt her in any way," Violet added.

Trevor chuckled nervously, trying to ignore the fact that all the men in this house had gotten themselves into good shape, likely to impress their significant others, and had relatively visible muscles; and the women looked fiercely protective if need be. He had been told that Violet had a nasty temper, and a mean right hook, and Klaus would flip his lid if something happened to his baby sister.

Klaus smiled, "We'll be eating at 5:30, so we have a lot of preparations to make."

Violet smiled too, "You can tell us about yourself at dinner. The kids are going to eat in the living room."

Sunny called from down the hall, "Hey Vi! Did you guys get enough fruit for Monty?"

Violet stepped out of the room to respond, "Yeah it should be in the fridge."

Once Trevor and Klaus were alone, the researcher spoke freely, "Look man, I don't hate you. In fact, you're a lot nicer than I was expecting, but if you hurt my sister, then my brothers-in-law and I will kick your ass. Get the picture?"

Trevor nodded vigorously, "Yes sir."

Klaus smiled, "Good, we're on the same page. Now let's give you that quick tour since this is my house."

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **I hope the family didn't come off as too rude. Like I said, I don't intend them to be, they're just wary and protective. And after everything they've been through in the past I think they have the right to be.**


	13. Thanksgiving Part 3

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

After Klaus gave Trevor a quick tour of his home, he was put to work helping the others in the kitchen. Trevor could only observe the family curiously as they worked together. They seemed to move fluidly with each other, like a well-oiled machine they completed their tasks without fail. Sunny was chatting happily with her family as he helped her with making homemade noodles. He knew already that Sunny was a skilled chef, but he had never seen her work without it being for a grade before.

The boy couldn't help admiring what he was seeing. This family was obviously very close; especially considering their living arrangements. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be a part of such a family. Just then Quigley entered the room.

"Hey we've got some mail," He announced holding up a few small packages and envelopes.

Fiona went over to him, "Anything from my stepfather?"

He handed her a letter, "Just this, and he sent some presents for the kids."

The cartographer left the room with the three packages as Fiona read over the letter.

"So where is your stepfather this time," Isadora asked.

"The Bahamas for some work related thing; I guess the presents were souvenirs. He says he can't make it to Christmas this year either because he's too busy, but we'll manage without him. We also got a couple cards from Jerome Squalor and Justice Strauss," She handed the two cards to Violet.

Violet smiled at the card, "It's nice to see them get along so well. After his messy divorce, Jerome needed that kind of comforting companionship."

Trevor was standing beside Violet by the counter and glanced at one of the cards in her hand, "Wow Dark Avenue, and a justice on the high court? You guys have friends in high places."

Violet laughed, "Yeah, Justice Strauss is an old friend of ours. She even officiated all our weddings. That's how she and Jerome met; they're good friends now. Jerome is another old friend of ours."

"That's pretty cool," Trevor said, "I plan to open a restaurant on Dark Avenue when I'm older."

Klaus smirked, "That's a daunting idea. You'd have to get past their obsession with being 'in.'"

Trevor laughed, "Oh, I'm not worried about that. Some things stay can 'in' for a very long time." They all laughed at that.

Isadora leaned over to Sunny and whispered, "He's definitely interesting."

Sunny chuckled and whispered back, "Glad you like him; I hope to keep him."

"I'll try to keep my husband from kicking him out then," Isadora joked.

 **~Several hours later**

It had been ages since Trevor sat down to a huge family dinner like this. With him having lived at Whitmore Academy for so long he usually spent his holidays there as well. He had friends of course, but he didn't mind spending his days at the school while they went to their own family gatherings. At the table, he sat between Sunny and Violet. Monty was coiled up around Sunny's legs under the table, and she would occasionally reach down and feed him some fruit. Trevor still hasn't gotten over the fact that his girlfriend had a vegetarian snake for a pet. With fangs like those it was a wonder that thing hadn't bitten anyone yet.

"Alright Sunny, I suppose you should tell us how you two met," Duncan said.

"It was in cooking class actually," Sunny replied with a smile, "Our teacher introduced us for an assignment."

"Are you friends with Beatrice too," Isadora asked.

"Well I am now," Trevor said, "I had never met her before meeting Sunshine here. I've been told that she's very close to your family."

Isadora nodded, "Oh, yes she is; we've all known Bea for her whole life."

"I see; is it ok if I ask why?"

Everyone glanced at each other for a moment, which confused Trevor before Violet replied, "It's a long story; maybe some other time."

Suddenly, Sunny's phone started buzzing in her pocket. She quickly excused herself from the table and went into the other room to answer it.

"Hello," Sunny said quietly.

"Sunny, this is Beatrice; my mom is busy chatting with my uncles right now so she told me to call you for her."

"Ok so what's the news?"

There was a short pause before Beatrice answered, "You might want to sit down..."

Sunny felt her heart clench up with worry, "That doesn't sound good."

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that he isn't a volunteer or a villain. My dad checked every file we have."

Sunny breathed a sigh of relief, "Then what's the bad news?"

There was another short pause, "We found the names of his parents and... they were fire-starters."

Sunny nearly dropped her phone, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but listen he doesn't have any connection with them anymore. They're confirmed to be dead. Their fire must have been started by another villain. My mom said that keeping him around should be fine, since nobody has come after him in the years after his fire happened, but try asking him about some of this stuff."

"Ok, thanks for telling me," Sunny replied, "Have a good Thanksgiving Bea; I'll try to sort this out before we go back to school Sunday night." She hung up the phone and sighed heavily.

 _"What am I supposed to tell the others now?"_

Surely they couldn't accept this. Even if he wasn't tied to it now, what were the chances that he could decide to follow that path? Sunny glanced across the hall into the living room where the kids were watching a movie while eating their dinner. Would it be too dangerous to have Trevor around them? Sunny had sworn that if anyone dared to harm her nieces and nephew she would personally rip them in half. She was fiercely protective of them.

But Trevor was a nice guy... She really liked this one. He was kind, funny, smart, good-looking, and good with kids; he enjoyed cooking and reading. She remembered something that Quigley had said once upon a time. "Well read people are less likely to be evil." The words rang in her head as she resumed a neutral expression and returned to the dining room to find Trevor talking about something unexpected.

"Then the fire spread through the house like crazy. My dad got me out pretty quickly and he went back inside for my mom," Trevor explained, "But they never came back out."

Sunny took her seat next to him and noticed the shocked looks on her family members' faces.

"That's awful," Violet noted, "And you were only six?"

"Yeah, I was an only child too. After the fire, I got sent to Whitmore by Orphan Affairs. I've been there ever since, but at least it's a nice school."

Sunny spent the rest of dinner contemplating things. As everyone talked, her mind drifted to something she hadn't considered until now: Fernald. She hated that man, but right now she figured he could be of some use. Fiona and Quigley both thought he was a changed man; especially after he's been in jail for the past several years. They had recently told the kids about their secret past and now Nikki and Lizzie were allowed to visit Fernald with Sam annually. Sunny was skeptical about the idea, but she supposed that it was alright since the former villain couldn't hurt them.

Everyone else in this room was aware that Fernald had changed his ways. So why wouldn't they be willing to accept Trevor? He wasn't evil at all, and he was slowly gaining the family's trust as he bonded with them during the conversation. Even Violet and Klaus were looking like they were starting to like this guy, and that was all the approval Sunny needed really. Kit did say that keeping him around should be fine. Sunny came to a quiet, happy conclusion, she would let this boy stay in her life.

 _"He's a good guy,"_ She thought, _"Once we're able to be alone I'll let him know that I want this to get serious."_

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Just because his parents were evil, doesn't mean he is. There will be a final, shorter part to this short story!**


	14. Thanksgiving Final Part

**Final part of this short story! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

It was now night time at the estate, and everyone had gone to bed for the most part. Trevor was lying on the couch's fold out bed trying to fall asleep but he just couldn't. He had trouble sleeping in places that he wasn't used to being in yet. He sighed and got up to walk around the house for a bit; it usually helped him clear his head so he could sleep. He walked down to the end of the hall and saw the Baudelaires' private library had a light on. He looked inside and saw the sight of little Lizzie Baudelaire reading a book by flashlight. He smirked and went up to her.

"Hey," He whispered.

She jumped and nearly dropped her book; once the initial shock wore off the girl smiled sheepishly up at him, "Hi Trevor... Are you going to tattle on me?"

He chuckled and sat in the armchair next to her, "Nah, I would never do that. You weren't doing anything wrong. Do you normally sneak into the library to read at night?"

Her face turned a little red with embarrassment, "No, I usually sneak a book into my room and hide it under my pillow. Mama gets upset when I stay up late reading but I know papa does it too so I don't see why I can't."

"Oh, so your dad gets in trouble too sometimes?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but he's a grown up so mama can't really stop him."

Trevor laughed, _"She's a smart kid."_

"Can I ask you something," Lizzie asked.

"Sure what's up?"

"Are you Aunt Sunny's boyfriend?"

Trevor blushed, "Uh, well sort of..."

She tilted her head in confusion and pushed her glasses up her nose, "What do you mean? You either are or you're not, right?"

He scratched his head nervously before replying, "Well, Sunny doesn't want to make it official unless the rest of your guys' family approves of me. But we have been on plenty of dates for a few weeks now and I really like her."

"Do you love her," Lizzie smiled; her brown eyes shining with curiosity behind her glasses.

Trevor chuckled, "Well I might be falling for her it's a little too soon to tell, kid."

Lizzie giggled, "Well, have you kissed her yet?"

He smiled, "Yeah we've kissed plenty of times."

"Then you have to marry her someday!"

Trevor looked taken aback by the statement, "Uh, what?"

"I learned that from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If a boy kisses a girl that means they have to get married someday because they love each other!"

He stared at the little girl in confusion before smirking at her innocent, infallible logic, "Well... I suppose I might have to then. Unless you don't want me to become your new uncle when I'm an adult?"

She quickly shook her head, "Oh, no I'd love that! You're fun! And Aunt Sunny likes you a lot I can tell!"

"So, tell me if you really believe that a boy has to marry a girl if he kisses her then have you ever been kissed by a boy," He asked slyly.

The little girl blushed at the idea, "Oh, no... Nikki and I aren't allowed to hang out with boys unless it's just Sam."

He raised a brow, "Then when will you be allowed to hang out with boys?"

"Papa, Uncle Duncan, and Uncle Quigley all said, 'when we're dead, plus three days just to make sure we're dead.' Mama, Aunt Violet, and Aunt Fiona all think they're joking but I think they're being honest. Besides... boys my age are mean to me..."

He gave her a concerned look, "Whoa, now they're mean to you? What happened?"

She clutched her book to her chest and looked down sadly, "Well, on Halloween we went trick or treating at this one mansion way down the road from here. And this boy lives there and he's really mean. He called me a dork and said my glasses made me look ugly. Nikki and Sam beat him up for it."

"Well that's horrible!"

She nodded, "Yeah and he's not the only one. A couple other boys at school tease me about my glasses. They also say I spend too much time reading. Do you think I spend too much time reading?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Of course not, Lizzie. There's no such thing as too much time spent reading! My parents didn't like that I loved to read so much. They said I was wasting time; I didn't listen to them. You just ignore those stupid boys, especially that one down the street. They can't tell you how to live your life. They're just wicked people. Wicked people never have time for reading; it's one of the reasons for their wickedness."

She blinked in surprise, "Papa says that my grandpa used to say that before he died. Where did you learn it?"

Trevor shrugged, "I just heard it somewhere, I can't remember, but I do agree with those words."

Lizzie smiled and set aside her book. She got up off her chair and gave him a hug.

"Thank you Trevor, I should probably go to bed now," She said as she let go of him and started out of the room, "Good night!"

She quietly went up the stairs, hoping to avoid waking her parents. Trevor smiled to himself and sighed.

"Cute kid," He said softly.

"Indeed she is," A voice from the doorway replied.

Trevor jumped and noticed Sunny standing in the doorway with a sly smile, "Bonding with my niece, Trev?"

He grinned sheepishly, "Uh, how much of that could you hear?"

She walked up to him, "I heard all of it; the guest room is right next door. Perhaps you should have been paying attention when Klaus gave you that tour."

"So you heard the part about-"

He was interrupted by Sunny kissing him. When she pulled away, she replied, "Yeah I did. And I wanted to talk to you anyway. I spoke to Violet and Klaus while you were talking to Duncan and Quigley in the living room after dinner. They said I can keep you around if I want to. You've already made an impression on the kids, and everyone else is warming up to you nicely."

He smiled, "Then I can start calling you my girlfriend now?"

She laughed, "Yes, I'd love that."

They shared another kiss, embraced in each other's arms.

 **~Flashback**

 _"Violet, Klaus, about Trevor... I talked to Kit for a moment when she picked up Beatrice from the school for the weekend. I had her and Dewey look for any record of him or his family in the organization. Kit didn't recognize him from anywhere. That call I got at dinner was from Beatrice. She said that Trevor's parents were listed in their files as fire-starters."_

 _Violet and Klaus both looked shocked, "What?"_

 _Sunny nodded, "Kit says it's fine to keep him around though because he's not listed in any of their files. He wasn't part of the organization at all; as a volunteer or villain. Trevor is a perfectly good guy, and he isn't like his parents at all. So, what do you say?"_

 _Her older siblings looked at each other for a moment and contemplated their answer._

 _"He's well read," Klaus replied, "He says his parents didn't like that he read so much."_

 _"Which means they didn't want him to turn out the way he did," Violet added, "He's not a fire-starter, and you say he treats you right?"_

 _Sunny nodded, "He treats me like a queen."_

 _The two smiled at their sister. "He's a good guy," Klaus said, "I like him."_

 _"If Klaus approves then so do I," Violet said with a smile, "And I think the others will agree. Izzie and Fiona get along with him; so do Duncan and Quigley. And the kids like him just fine. If you want this relationship to last then go ahead and tell him."_

 _Sunny hugged both of her siblings, "Thanks guys."_

 **~End Flashback**

Sunny knew this boy well enough by now to see that he wasn't like his parents. Everything she had been told about them reminded her of the villains of their past, and Trevor was the complete opposite. He was a kind, caring, boy that just wanted to own his own restaurant someday. He didn't enjoy hurting people, and he never did it intentionally. He treated her like a good boyfriend would, and she showed the same attitude toward him. In her heart, Sunny knew that trusting him was the right decision, and she could tell that she wouldn't regret it. The two teens were happy to see what the future would hold for their growing relationship. And Sunny couldn't have been happier that Trevor was approved of by her family. She couldn't wait to tell Beatrice the good news when they went back to school Sunday night.

 **~The End!**

 **This is the last part of my Thanksgiving short story!**


	15. Facts About the Future

**This is a series of drabbles and facts, in no particular order, about what life is like for the family now, and it's not in the form of a story or anything. Some are funny, and some are more serious. Begin!**

 **Universe***

Nikki's birthday is May 3rd, Lizzie's birthday is June 7th, and Sam's birthday is July 12th.

Duncan, Klaus, and Quigley have all sworn that they won't let Nikki and Lizzie hang out with boys (besides Sam) until they're dead, plus 3 days just to make sure they're dead! Violet, Isadora, and Fiona think they're joking, but they might not be.

Violet, Klaus, Sunny and the triplets purchased grave markers for their deceased parents; despite there being no remains to bury. They did it shortly after obtaining their fortunes. This was done so they could feel a level of closure on their deaths. And so they could "visit" on Mother's Day and Father's Day. Fiona's deceased mother, Samantha, already had a grave in the same cemetery; her body was brought to shore by the Queequeg after her diving accident. The kids don't mind visiting these markers, as their parents find comfort in their children's presence.

Sam once asked Fiona why she didn't end up with Uncle Klaus instead of Quigley, "Wouldn't that make sense, mom?" Fiona and Klaus looked at each other for a moment before she jokingly replied, "Why would I ever go for a glasses-wearing dork like him? Your father is way more handsome and charming." She said this while adjusting her own glasses, and Klaus and Isadora could not stop laughing. Sam thought it was a pretty funny answer too. The actual reason of course was because Klaus loved Isadora and Fiona loved Quigley, and that was just the way it was. However, on one separate occasion, Isadora did ask Fiona if she was at all attracted to Klaus when they met, just out of curiosity. Fiona's response had been, "He was kind of cute, but I respected that you were together, and Quigley was cuter." The two girls never said another word on the matter after this conversation.

Isadora and Fiona are actually good friends, and very close as sisters-in-law. Yet for some reason everyone who meets them doesn't think they would get along as well as they do. They're so close that Isadora was almost chosen as Fiona's maid of honor when she and Quigley were married; but ultimately the role was given to Violet and Isadora was a bridesmaid. Nobody minded this decision.

Captain Widdershins is still a part of Fiona's life even after she left V.F.D., and whenever the Queequeg surfaces for supplies the Captain makes sure to visit. He is usually offshore most of the year for V.F.D. business though, but he always makes time to send a letter or sometimes gifts for the kids. Phil is still working as his crew-mate, and he enjoys visiting when the Captain does. He's the longest serving cook the Queequeg has ever had.

Sunny has visited Fernald in prison once, and only once. She talked with him for exactly 5 minutes. After introducing herself, because he didn't recognize her from having dyed black hair, the only thing she said was, "I wanted to apologize for not forgiving you sooner. If it wasn't for you, I might not be alive right now. So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Fernald simply replied, "I'm the one who's sorry, kid. That's why I'm locked up in here, because I'm sorry for everything." The two smiled at each other. They both recognized that they had made amends, and could move on.

Sunny has a boyfriend named Trevor Macready. They met in a cooking class at Whitmore Academy because their teacher paired them for an assignment. They grew a relationship out of common interests, and Trevor has recently been approved of by the family. He is an orphan too; however, his parents were once fire-starters. He knows nothing about V.F.D. The two are happy together.

Sunny has admitted that Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam are the only children she needs in her life. So, if she and Trevor get married in the future, they won't be having kids of their own. Trevor is perfectly fine with this decision.

Sunny has a pet snake named Monty. He is another one of the species called the Incredibly Deadly Viper. He was a gift from Violet and Klaus for her 15th birthday, after many hours arguing with the Herpetological Society about finding another of the species, since the original viper was long gone. Sunny also wears a silver snake pendant around her neck that she hardly ever removes unless she needs to.

Beatrice Snicket is Sunny's best friend, and the two are rarely apart when at Whitmore. Whenever Kit and Dewey are busy with V.F.D. business during holidays, Beatrice is always welcome at the Baudelaire/Quagmire estate so she has a second family to spend the occasion with.

Trevor has a friend named Hunter who is in love with Beatrice, but hasn't admitted it to her yet. Beatrice does return his feelings, and Sunny and Trevor are working on getting the two together slowly. Given Beatrice's messy relationship history, with having had a boyfriend that cheated on her, Sunny is convinced that this one will work out.

Duncan, Violet, Klaus, and Isadora celebrate the day that Duncan and Isadora were saved from being kidnapped as a very special anniversary. The four have dinner together with just them. In private, Duncan and Isadora exchange presents with their respective spouses, and the two couples give each other special affection. This anniversary also falls on Klaus' birthday.

Nikki and Lizzie aren't bothered by their respective parents being openly affectionate with each other. While Sam still thinks it's gross when his parents kiss in front of him.

Sunny has sworn that if anyone dares to hurt her nieces and nephew, she will personally rip them in half.

Far down the street from the family estate is the Spats' family mansion. Carmelita is an adult now and is married with a son named Cameron. She has apparently not noticed that the orphans she used to bully at Prufrock live so close to her. Cameron is a jerk to Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam, but since he is enrolled in a private school they rarely have to deal with him.

Violet's birthday is April 8th. Klaus' birthday is March 28th. Duncan, Quigley, and Isadora's birthday is March 31st. Fiona's birthday is March 5th. Sunny's birthday is October 1st. Beatrice's birthday is April 22nd.

Isadora often catches Klaus and Lizzie staying up late reading. She sends Lizzie to her room to punish her. But she can't stop her husband from doing it. And every time she tries, Klaus just laughs and says, "You know you can't stop me, right?" Isadora just sighs in defeat and says, "I know."

Nikki has to hair back with a ribbon to help her think, just like her mother. She wants to be an artist someday and she never goes anywhere without her sketchbook. Her room is covered in pictures.

Upon first glance, Sam appears to have very little of his mother in him; aside from his slightly darker than his father mixed skin tone. He's a troublemaker, like his father was at his age, and seems to resemble Quigley more in facial appearance. However, his grades at school prove that he is intelligent like Fiona. He's even interested in marine biology. He just likes to have fun.

When Lizzie was born, Duncan and Quigley had promised themselves they wouldn't cry when they held their niece for the first time... they cried anyway and their wives had to help them calm down. Isadora thought it was sweet that her brothers cared so much.

Justice Judy Strauss became very good friends with Jerome Squalor after meeting him at Violet and Duncan's wedding. The two regularly get together for tea or drinks and enjoy each other's company. Their relationship is platonic, and Jerome enjoys having positive female companionship in his life for a change. Whenever the holidays roll around they will send the Baudelaire/Quagmire family cards or presents to show that they're still friends after the past several years.

Esmé is currently in prison after being arrested at Hotel Denouement. Jerome was given the address of the prison she was in, shortly after she was brought there, and he visited her once and only once. His visit consisted of him getting her to sign divorce papers, since they were still technically married after she joined Olaf. The two haven't spoken since. And despite Jerome's exceptionally kind heart, even he could admit she was the worst thing that ever happened in his life.

When Duncan proposed to Violet it was in a beautiful flower garden, at night, with fairy lights strung all over. He set up a radio to play a few songs for them. He didn't mind calming his nerves with a stupid line that made Violet laugh. ("The violets are beautiful tonight, and you're the most beautiful of all.") When he bought the engagement ring it was all he could think about for a week. He even fell behind on his news reports at work because he was so distracted! He proposed to her the traditional way, and she basically tackled him afterwards. ("Yes, yes, yes, Duncan! Of course I'll marry you!") The two then turned on some music and slow danced to the song "Can't Smile Without You." A song they would dance to at their wedding.

When Klaus proposed to Isadora it was at night in the backyard of their house; everyone else at the estate was asleep at the time. They spent some time stargazing and talking on a blanket before he finally worked up all his courage. It was less traditional because he used a couplet. "Isadora Quagmire you are the love of my life, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" Isadora practically screamed her answer and covered him with kisses.

When Duncan and Quigley were set to walk Isadora down the aisle at her wedding and give her away together, they both cried when they saw their sister in her lovely white dress. But Duncan somehow managed not to cry during his best man speech at the reception.

While out with Isadora one day, Klaus met Charles from the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill in a random encounter in the city. Charles recognized him, and was happy to see Klaus all grown up and even happily married. Charles revealed that after the mill was closed down, he finally left Sir, and found a new husband in Jerome Squalor.

As a married couple, Duncan calls Violet "love," while she calls him "honey." They rarely stray from these names. Klaus calls Isadora "darling," while she calls him various different names to suit her mood. They range from love, to honey, to darling, and on the special anniversary she'll sweetly refer to him as "her hero" in private. Quigley calls Fiona "Doll" and she calls him "Quiggles."

While Sunny doesn't have a pet name for Trevor, due to simply not thinking of one, his pet name for her is "Sunshine."

As parents, Violet and Duncan are only strict with Nikki when it's necessary. Duncan tries to be a responsible father when Violet has to let him babysit, but he isn't above letting his daughter get away with a little rule breaking every now and then. She just wanted one more cookie. What's wrong with that?

The kids are banned from going into Violet's inventing studio in the den. The reason is because when they were previously allowed in there, they accidentally broke 3 inventions. Two of which had not been finished yet. They were grounded for a week. Whenever Violet is working on an invention at home and Nikki needs her attention, it's the only time she's allowed in the room.

Nikki's "favorite" uncle is Klaus; because he's so smart. Lizzie's "favorite" uncle is Quigley; because he's funny. And Sam's "favorite" uncle is Duncan; because he's smarter than his dad. The adults do try to discourage the kids from having "favorite" family members, but that doesn't stop them. And Sunny is everyone's favorite aunt.

Violet and Fiona think it's funny when Duncan and Quigley have their annual, "I'm the best looking one" conversation/argument. Isadora always interrupts them and wins. Of course, Violet and Fiona think they're just being silly, and are too biased towards their respective husbands to get involved. They're convinced that the triplets will continue this never ending debate even when they're old and grey.

Violet, Isadora, and Fiona make regular time for "girls' nights," where they leave their children with their husbands and go out to spend time together. These nights are usually filled with conversations about raising their kids, and joking about their dorky husbands.

Quigley and Sam tried one year on Mother's Day to make breakfast for Fiona. They set off the smoke alarm, nearly giving her and everyone else a heart attack, and aren't allowed to try to cook anymore. Quigley is also the only triplet that can't cook at all. Duncan and Isadora both can, but only to a certain extent.

Isadora sometimes gets stress nightmares about the night she was kidnapped. Klaus is always there to help calm her down and reassure her that nothing will take her away from him _ever again._

The first time Nikki and Lizzie were allowed to visit Fernald with Sam, they were brought by Violet. Fernald commented that Nikki "looked just like her mother, except for her father's eyes." And Lizzie "had her mother's eyes... and her father's eyesight." Normally, Lizzie is sensitive about jokes about her glasses, but she thought it was funny.

Nikki is confident, sarcastic, and fun. Lizzie is painfully shy, quiet, and intelligent. Sam is outgoing, playful, and tries to be rebellious, but fails.

Nikki and Sam are very protective of Lizzie and always stand up for her when she gets bullied at school. Nobody messes with their cousin on their watch!

Because Lizzie is so shy, she often lets Nikki speak for her around other kids their age. Not that Nikki minds of course.

Lizzie's favorite book series is Harry Potter. (She's a Ravenclaw) And she has on one occasion commented on her father resembling Harry in appearance. Klaus just smiled and said, "I would if I had green eyes, but no." Isadora once jokingly sang Ginny's Valentine song from Chamber of Secrets to him, and Klaus thought it was hilarious.

Each marriage has had one major fight, but they of course made up in the end.

Violet and Duncan are basically in charge of the family as a whole, and nobody minds this decision.

Due to Klaus working at a research center, he sometimes gets to interact with Fiona's scientist co-workers; they often need researchers to help with things. They're always surprised to learn that the two are in-laws and friends that go way back.

Since Isadora works at a university as a poetry teacher, she makes it no secret that her students are encouraged to call her Mrs. Baudelaire. Not that she gets any kind of personal satisfaction from it or anything... and of course Klaus knows about it.

When Sunny babysits, she doesn't mind letting the kids stay up late, and even break a few rules as long as nothing is broken and nobody gets hurt; because Sunny is still a teenager and wants to have fun herself. This gets worse when Beatrice joins them. But Sunny is still responsible when she needs to be.

Because Sam is the troublemaker of the kids, Quigley is often put into the awkward position of being a strict parent, while Fiona is already the responsible parent. Duncan and Isadora think it's funny when they watch their once troublemaker brother be a stern father. Sam loves both his parents either way, even if he gets punished often.

Duncan is the one who often won't get out of bed in the morning, no matter what he has to do that day. Whenever Violet can't convince him, she usually asks Nikki to help out by pouncing on him. It always works.

As a graduation present, from Whitmore Academy, Jacqueline and Larry trekked through hundreds of V.F.D. files before finding two separate pictures. One was for Violet and Klaus. It was a picture of Bertrand and Beatrice, just before they were married as their hands didn't have wedding rings, but Beatrice was wearing an engagement ring. The other was for Duncan, Quigley, and Isadora and it was a picture of Quinten and Karen, also before they were married. The two pictures were old, but carefully copied. The family members have several in their houses to ensure that these precious photos aren't lost forever like the other pictures of their parents had been.

Captain Widdershins refuses to part with the only photo he has left of his wife, Samantha. ("Aye, too many memories there.") Fiona convinced him to simply let her make a copy so that Sam could have the picture around. He reluctantly agreed. In the picture is the Captain, his wife, Fernald as a teenager (and with his real hands), and Fiona as an infant.

Klaus and Isadora only call Lizzie by her full name, Elizabeth, when she's in trouble or upon first introducing her to someone before specifying her nickname; though only family members and close friends are allowed to call Isadora "Izzie." The same rule is loosely given for Sam since his full name is Samuel.

If you ask Duncan what his favorite Disney movie is, he will say Aladdin. If you ask Violet what Duncan's favorite Disney movie is, she will tell the truth and say Cinderella. "The original, not the shitty remake; he cries like a baby every time." "Violet!"

Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam go to public school in the city. They were pretty disappointed that they couldn't attend Whitmore to see Aunt Sunny, and Auntie Beatrice as often. The reasoning was because the family didn't want them to have to live at a private school for most of the year. The children are fine with this, and have several friends at school and make good grades.

Violet, Isadora, and Fiona used to sing their children to sleep when they were infants. Ever since they stopped needing to, they switched to singing for their husbands because they love their voices.

The family printing business is mostly run by the staff as Violet and Duncan have their main jobs, but if there is a problem one of them will step in to help.

The _Daily Punctilio_ was taken over a couple years by a woman named Moxie Mallahan, and it has since started printing truthful, detailed, articles that the public enjoys. Duncan started working there immediately after this change and hasn't complained about the paper since. One day, he was shocked to see that Lemony Snicket, Beatrice Snicket's uncle, was in Moxie's office talking politely to her. After he left, she revealed that she was his best friend since they were children, and is now his wife. And she regularly visits Kit and Dewey with Lemony at their house. (Beatrice calls her "Aunt Moxie.")

When they were attending Whitmore Academy, before Quigley and Fiona went on their first real date, he apologized to Violet for hitting on her during their first meeting. Violet shrugged it off and accepted his apology despite assuring him that he didn't need to give her one. When Fiona found out about this she wasn't offended because it was before she had met Quigley anyway, and she knew Violet was very loyal to Duncan.

 **And that's all the ones I can think of for now! I'll get around to writing another real story eventually! Hopefully, this was alright!**


	16. Because I Love Duncan

**How the scene in Slippery Slope should have gone. This one isn't connected to my other stories, only the books. Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"Klaus go see what kind of information you can find in the library," I commanded as I put on my climbing shoes.

"Violet you're not really going to climb that waterfall by yourself are you," Klaus asked, a worried look crossing his face.

I shrugged, "I'll be fine."

Quigley was standing beside Klaus as he spoke up, "I'll climb with her."

I looked at him and smiled a little, "Thank you for volunteering, Quigley."

He smiled, and Klaus looked satisfied at the prospect of me not doing something so dangerous alone. Quigley put on my climbing invention, and we left one for Klaus just in case something happened. After testing the ice with the candelabra, we began our daunting ascent up the waterfall. I climbed much faster than him; I felt like I had to. My baby sister might up there... I _need_ to know she's ok.

After some time I found a sturdy ledge for us to rest on. I sat down and helped Quigley up beside me. He gave me a tired smile, and looked very out of breath.

"You were really fast at the start there," He said, "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Climbed a frozen waterfall using only silverware assisted climbing shoes and a broken candelabra? Never," I replied.

He chuckled, "Just checking."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small bag of carrots and handed one to me. I thanked him and we ate to regain our energy after such a long time climbing. I immediately remembered how Sunny loved raw carrots and my worries for my sister came rushing back.

"Sunny loves raw carrots," I looked down for a moment and asked, "Do you think she's really up there?"

"Of course I do. If your sister is as smart as you and Klaus, then she'd find a way to signal you."

I nodded and looked back out towards the rest of the Mortmain Mountains. After a few moments Quigley spoke again.

"Hey just out of curiosity, Violet," He started, "When you guys were at Prufrock with my siblings, Klaus didn't touch Isadora, did he?"

I felt a tiny smirk cross my face, "He didn't touch her. But she kissed him on the cheek before they went to do laps for us in disguise."

He looked enraged, "What!? And Duncan just let it happen? God damn it, we swore to our dad that we'd never let a guy near Isadora without our express permission."

"Well since you were dead, what exactly was Duncan supposed to say?"

"I don't know... something! He's the oldest; he should be looking out for stuff like this. When I get back down there I'm going to kick Klaus' ass."

I rolled my eyes, "Quigley, listen to me. Klaus is in love with Isadora. He's treated her with nothing but respect since the day they met. When we had to send them up in the hot air mobile home he practically turned the Hinterlands into an ocean with how hard he cried. Duncan trusts him so you should too. And Izzie is my best friend; I want her to be happy. Besides you have to admit they'd be cute together."

He looked away slightly and I swear I heard him mumble something that sounded like, "we'd be cute too," but I must have misheard it. I turned to look back at the mountains. I decided to distract myself from my family worries by admiring my surroundings.

"You know, aside from the ashes of the fire, it's a lovely view."

"Very lovely indeed," Quigley said, but as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye I noticed that he wasn't looking at the mountains... he was looking at me.

I felt his hand interlock with mine, and I looked down as he squeezed my hand gently. We locked eyes when I looked at his face again. It should have been a romantic moment, like something out of a Disney movie, but something didn't feel right. I looked into his eyes. Green, sincere eyes... a warm smile... handsome face... messy black hair... wait messy hair? I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Now I know what's wrong. Boy, this is going to be awkward. I quickly let go of his hand, and he gave me a confused, disappointed look.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Quigley. It's just... I can't."

"Why not? We're here; we're alone, what's the issue?"

My mind shifted to the warm, caring, green eyes of a boy who looked almost identical to the boy sitting beside me. _Duncan Quagmire._ A boy who showed me inordinate amounts of kindness, who held my hand for 6 hours to keep me calm about Olaf showing up. The boy who put his life on the line for me and disguised himself as my brother to run laps in our place and got himself kidnapped in the process. Yet he didn't regret a thing. I tried to stop him that night, but he wouldn't listen. He wanted to help and he did, even if he got kidnapped. I loved him. I realized that now. I wanted to be with Duncan, and here his brother was hitting on me, while he's up in the sky on a balloon house with their sister. Duncan and I never had anything official between us, but it felt wrong sitting with Quigley like this.

"Because I love Duncan," I replied, as a bit of red crossed my face at the thought of that charming journalist that had stolen my heart, "I'm sorry Quigley... you just look so much like him, but he always keeps his hair neat. I guess my heart just got confused for a minute."

Quigley scratched his head nervously as his face turned very red, "Oh... sorry I didn't think about that."

We sat for a few moments in silence before he started chuckling, "So, you love my brother, huh? What were you guys dating at Prufrock or something?"

I blushed more, "Not officially, but somehow everyone thought we were." The whole school had gotten it in their heads that Duncan and I were a couple. Vice Principal Nero even said it to my face.

He smirked, "I seem to recall Carmelita mentioned something about two orphans dating. I suppose you can pin the blame on her for the rumor."

I groaned, "I should have known."

He looked away a bit, "So this is what it feels like..."

I tilted my head in confusion, "How what feels?"

"Rejection. I've been with a lot of girls, and none of them ever turned me down before. Duncan would get mad at me because I'd get with a few ones that he had a crush on too. And once I'd break up with them after a while, he never had a chance again because of us sharing the same rugged good looks. As if he thinks he's the better looking one," Quigley scoffed, "Yeah right."

I chuckled, "Well if you ask me: Duncan is the better looking one."

He glanced at me, "Oh, shut up you're biased."

I remembered that I had heard a similar statement from Duncan back at Prufrock.

 **~Flashback**

 _We had just gotten out of Mr. Remora's class and were walking to meet Klaus and Isadora at the library. We kept up a pleasant conversation before I decided to ask something I probably shouldn't have._

 _"Duncan, if you don't mind me asking, what was Quigley like anyway?"_

 _He looked at me for a moment before replying, "Well, he was a ladies man. Had a new girlfriend every 2 or 3 weeks or so, with an annoying habit of stealing girls I was also interested in. Of course being cursed with the same rugged good looks meant that once he eventually broke up with them I never had a chance again. As if he thought he was the better looking one. Yeah, right."_

 **~End flashback**

I guess this was a conversation/argument they had often. Though I'm sure that if you were to ask Klaus he would say Isadora is the best looking one. And I think she'd agree.

"So, you're really ok with me loving, Duncan," I asked.

He smiled, "Hey, Izzie might think I'm a jerk for being so careless with women, but a rejection is a rejection. If you love Duncan, then you should be together. Hell, my brother deserves a girl like you. I'll be the best man at your wedding if you want me to."

I chuckled again, "I'm pretty sure Klaus will be the best man actually. Duncan is his best friend after all. And Izzie will be my maid of honor."

"Alright, whatever you say," He paused for a moment before continuing, "Listen, Violet, if something happens that separates us I promise that I'll find my siblings and bring them to you again. Ok?"

I grinned widely, "You mean that?"

"Absolutely, I need to be with them again. Being in hiding so long... it got pretty lonely even with Jacques taking care of me the past year; I miss them."

"Thank you, Quigley," I started shifting from my position to face the waterfall again, "We should keep going now."

As we continued our ascent, I felt my heart lighten at the idea of seeing Duncan again. We found Sunny at the top, but Olaf and his remaining henchmen were there so we couldn't bring her with us. We climbed back down. Once we reached the destroyed Headquarters, I had to stop Quigley from hitting Klaus for what happened between him and Isadora at Prufrock. Poor, embarrassed, Klaus apologized profusely and assured Quigley that he would respect Isadora no matter what.

We figured out the Verbal Fridge Dialogue message using Klaus' notes, and Quigley informed us that the meeting would be happening at a place called Hotel Denouement. It was night time now, and we all decided to get some rest after our long day. We each curled up in a spot where the winds wouldn't hit us inside the destroyed library and went to sleep pretty fast.

And all my dreams that night were of me reuniting with my handsome journalist.

 **~The End!**

 **Violet only kissed Quigley because he looks like Duncan. Therefore I had to make a story where she stopped herself before making that huge mistake. Dunclet for life! With some implied Kladora of course! I kind of hope that Quigley asks about Klaus doing anything with Isadora in season 3 of the show, but I know it won't happen. See you!**


	17. Old Enemies

**Some familiar faces that part of them hoped to never see again. Please remember that in the books the White-Faced Women weren't described as elderly; despite the tv show's depiction of them. (The actresses are awesome in their roles, but the ages were never specified in the source material.) Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Duncan's POV**

Violet and I were sitting at a picnic table chatting about our day as we kept an eye on Nikki. We had brought the kids to the park today to play with some other kids. Klaus and Isadora were sitting with us and talking about their own topics. Quigley and Fiona were both at work, and Sam had been brought with his mother down to the science lab for the day. Nikki and Lizzie were playing on the swing set nearby. After a while, I noticed the girls ran over to us.

Lizzie tugged on Isadora's arm, "Mama, can we get some ice cream? Please?"

She pointed a little away from the swing set to a snack stall where other kids were being given ice cream cones. We agreed and got up to join them at the stall. As we waited in line, I noticed something. Something that I had hoped I wouldn't see again. I nudged Violet, Klaus and Isadora.

I leaned in to whisper to them, "Look who's running the stall."

The three of them looked and had the same shocked expressions at the sight. It was the two White-Faced Women. The women we had been told ages ago left Olaf's troupe after reaching Mount Fraught with him while he was hunting us down. They looked older now, and their faces didn't have that stage make-up anymore, but we'd recognize them anywhere. I glanced down at Nikki and Lizzie and suddenly felt worried for their safety. I could tell the others agreed with me by their own expressions. Either way we didn't want to cause a scene so we continued waiting in line as normal until it was our turn. As expected, the two women recognized us. Of course they wouldn't forget our faces either.

The kids were confused by how the two were staring at us in shock. They probably thought we had died or something. It made sense that they didn't know what happened after they left the troupe.

After several moments, one of them finally spoke, "Ahem, it's you kids again."

I nodded, "Yeah, and you are working here now, I see," I subconsciously pulled Violet closer to me just to be safe, and we nudged Nikki and Lizzie behind us.

One woman who had spoken smiled faintly as she stared at the four of us, "Klaus, Isadora, Duncan, and Violet; it's good to see that you're alive." I'm surprised they remembered our names.

"We thought that _he_ might have," The other one started but Klaus interrupted her.

"He didn't," Klaus said, "And we would appreciate it if you didn't bring this up in front of our girls."

The two blinked in surprise and looked down to see Nikki and Lizzie standing behind us. They observed us closer and obviously noticed the wedding rings we had on each of our hands. We saw them smile again.

"Ah, so that's why you were so insistent on finding them, huh," One woman said.

"Er, what happened to your sister," The other woman asked, "Sunny?"

"She's enrolled in a private school," Violet answered.

The woman nodded, "Oh, yes I suppose she would be 15 now."

This whole situation felt strange. The two women looked actually pretty happy. I guess leaving Olaf had changed their lives for the better. We had seen that change happen when Fernald betrayed him.

"So, what would the girls like," The woman gestured to the menu. We had momentarily forgotten why we were here.

Isadora leaned down, "Go on girls pick something out."

The girls smiled and made their choices. The two women nodded and prepared ice cream cones for them. They handed the treats to our girls.

"For you, free of charge," They said together.

"Thank you," I said.

Violet leaned down to the kids, "Girls, why don't you go eat your snacks elsewhere? The grown-ups want to talk for a while."

The two girls nodded and left to enjoy their treats in a spot where we could still watch them.

"Emily and Elena, by the way," The one named Emily gestured between the two twins, "We never properly introduced ourselves back then."

"So, you're married now," Elena commented, smiling, "It's nice to see you together again."

Violet smiled, "Yeah we are."

"Your girls are very cute," Emily said, "What are their names?"

"Our daughter is named Nikki Quagmire," I replied, with my arm still around Violet's waist.

"Ours is named Elizabeth Baudelaire," Klaus said; his arm also wrapped around Isadora.

"I see she got her father's eyesight," Elena said chuckling, "No offense."

Klaus shrugged, "None taken."

There was a long pause before Emily asked, "So what happened to _him_?"

"Dead," Violet replied, she made sure no one else around could hear her as she continued, "He was executed at the Hotel Denouement meeting."

The two older women looked shocked and a little relieved at the news. Olaf hadn't been good to his own supporters either. He didn't even care that two of his other henchmen died.

Elena cleared her throat before saying, "I see. It's good to know that you're not troubled by him anymore." Emily nodded in agreement.

There was another pause before one of them spoke again.

"Mr. Quagmire, Mrs. Baudelaire, about what happened at Prufrock... We're sorry. We shouldn't have listened to him all that time. And we're sorry for knocking you out when we put you in the car," Emily said, her eyes filled with honesty.

Isadora and I glanced at each other, remembering that awful day like it was yesterday. We had all told our kids about our troubled history, but I don't think Nikki and Lizzie realized that these two women were from our tale. Perhaps it's best that they don't know, otherwise they might cause a scene.

We nodded at them and I replied, "Thank you for the apology."

"If you don't mind me asking," Isadora said, "What made you leave his service in the first place?"

Elena hesitated before replying, "We lost our home in a fire once too, Mrs. Baudelaire. And in that fire we lost our younger sister, Ellie. We know how it feels to lose a sibling. We just got fed up with him talking about what he was going to do to you once he got his hands on you again."

I smiled, "Well, then you should be happy to hear that our brother Quigley was the survivor of the fire. He lives with us, and is married with a son too. He's at work right now. We found him in the Mortmain Mountains after leaving Heimlich Hospital."

The two smiled, "That's wonderful to hear."

"We should get back to the girls now," Klaus said, "They're probably wondering what's going on."

The rest of us nodded and turned to leave and the last thing that the two women said was, "Congratulations; Mrs. Quagmire, Mrs. Baudelaire, we're very happy you kids ended up together. We always knew you would. And thank you for being so understanding to us."

The four of us continued our day as normal without another word on the matter. These two had seen the error of their ways and turned their lives around in the end. Isadora and I couldn't exactly forgive them outright; neither could Violet and Klaus, but it was in the past and we had all moved on years ago. They looked genuinely happy for us, and we were all happy that they had gained a better place in life. They left Olaf of their own free will, and while they hadn't done it to redeem themselves like Fernald had, it was still a good thing that they did. If they hadn't, they likely would have been executed at the Hotel Denouement meeting too. They unknowingly saved their own skins. Or perhaps they would have just been arrested, like Esmé.

We had hoped to never see them again, but they were certainly happy to see us. Maybe they weren't that bad after all. They are still human. And sometimes people _can_ change. Even if it seems like they won't.

 **~The End!**

 **I don't have anything to add to this one. See you!**


	18. Don't Touch Me

**Takes place during their time at Whitmore Academy. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

Klaus sighed in mild frustration. He was sitting in his room that he shared with Quigley at Whitmore Academy trying to focus on his book, but a certain thought kept nagging at his brain. Classes were cancelled today for a teacher and staff meeting; Violet and Fiona were out, Sunny was still at daycare, and Duncan and Quigley were in the living room. Isadora was working her shift at the school library so he was left to his own desires for now. But Isadora was the thing that kept him from being able to focus on his book.

Klaus and Isadora were very happy together, and have been for several months now since officially starting their relationship, but there was one small problem: Isadora didn't like to be touched. Perhaps that was inaccurate, but that was how it appeared to be to Klaus. True, the poet loved hugs just as much as writing couplets, and that's saying something, but this was different. For some reason, whenever Klaus and Isadora were kissing, and his hands would roam for something a bit more physical, she would flinch and shy away from him.

His normally genius brain couldn't place down a reason why she would do this. It wasn't like she wasn't affected by him in a positive way; whenever it happened, he could see the desire in her eyes. What was wrong? Did he overstep a secret boundary at some point? Was she upset about something? Was he moving their relationship too fast? He couldn't answer any of these questions, and it was bothering him beyond reason. He sighed once more, put down his book, and stood up to begin pacing around the room.

 _"What should I do?"_

After several moments of thinking he got an idea. Duncan and Quigley! They're Isadora's triplet brothers; they should be able to shed some light on the issue. He walked out into the living room to find the two sitting on the couch watching a show. Klaus then figured that his inner thoughts must have been distracting him quite a lot, as he somehow didn't hear them shouting loudly at the tv from his room.

"Oh, come on Jackie! You and Hyde deserve each other, damn it," Quigley shouted.

"He said he loved you; he even took off his sunglasses to do it! He wasn't hiding his emotions that time! He treats you right! What the hell did Kelso ever do for you," Duncan said.

Klaus stared at the two in confusion and mild amusement, "Uh, are you guys ok?"

"We'll be ok when Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde get married and have babies," Duncan answered.

"Are you two crying over a soap opera or something," Klaus chuckled.

The two Quagmire boys quickly wiped their eyes and denied doing so. Quigley responded by correcting him, "It's not a soap opera; it's a comedy it just gets emotional sometimes..."

"Yeah emotional... that's it. It has great characters, ok?!"

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Alright, I'm not judging you. But can you take a break for a minute I need to ask you something."

Quigley turned off the tv, "Sure the episode was over anyway. What's up?"

Klaus sat down in an armchair beside the couch and contemplated how to phrase his predicament, "Well... it's about Isadora."

"You're not going to propose to her already, are you," Duncan asked.

"What? No! We're not even old enough for that," Klaus then sighed, "I just have this problem that I hope you can help me with."

"Did you have a fight or something," Quigley asked, concern lacing his voice.

"No, but I guess I must have upset her somehow. Uh, how do I put this? Isadora... doesn't like to be touched. I don't know if it's me, or something else."

Klaus glanced at the two boys as they stared at him for a few moments before they broke down laughing. He raised a brow in confusion.

"Klaus we'll tell you what the problem is," Duncan said.

Later that day, Klaus was sitting in his room once more as he waited for Isadora to get back from her shift. He now had the knowledge to talk to her about her problem, and intended to do just that while they were alone. Sure he could've just asked her instead, but asking her brothers ended up giving him the answer anyway. But he did want to hear it from her too. Suddenly, his door opened and Isadora walked in smiling at him.

"Hey Klaus, sorry for taking so long, the library was busy today."

He smiled at her, just seeing her made his day better no matter what, "That's alright. Come over here."

He patted the spot next to him on his bed and she happily joined him. He kissed her, and her hands immediately went to his hair and his hands went to her waist. After a few seconds of loving kissing he moved his hand up her body a little. As expected, she made a muffled noise through the kiss and quickly jumped away from him.

He grabbed her hand, "Izzie why do you keep doing that?"

She stared at him for a moment, feigning confusion, "Doing what?"

"Why do you shy away when I touch you?"

Isadora bit her lip nervously, contemplating the question. He gently squeezed her hand.

"Just tell me. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not. Klaus, I'm _ticklish_."

"...Ticklish?"

Isadora blushed self consciously and nodded, "Very."

Of course that was it. It was a perfectly logical, harmless, explanation after all. He briefly wondered how he had not considered it before. He quickly dismissed that concern, and smirked at his girlfriend.

"Very ticklish, huh?"

Isadora's eyes went wide with realization; she quickly got off the bed and moved far away from him, holding her hands up like a barrier, "Klaus, don't you dare."

He simply stood and walked toward her, still smirking deviously with a mischievous glint in his eye.

From her position on the other side of the room, Isadora grabbed the pillow off of Quigley's bed and held it in front of her like a shield. She slowly backed away as he continued towards her. Unfortunately, Isadora didn't notice that she backed right into a wall. Klaus stopped in front of her blocking her only escape route. She gave a small squeak of terror, preparing herself for the inevitable. However, Klaus simply grabbed her and kissed her deeply. She melted into the kiss, and dropped the pillow so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He kept their lips locked as he swiftly picked her up and put her on his bed once more, this time laying her down, and positioning himself on top of her.

Once he pulled away from the kiss, his lips went to her ear and he whispered, "Your brothers told me by the way; I just wanted you to admit yourself."

"Wait wha-," Isadora didn't get to finish her sentence as Klaus interrupted her by tickling her; she immediately broke down in a fit of giggles.

Klaus continued playfully torturing her until he decided she'd had enough. He then got off of her as she lay on the bed catching her breath.

She sat up a bit and said, "I'm going to kill Duncan and Quigley."

"To be fair, I'm sure I would've found out eventually."

Isadora thought for a moment before smirking, "Actually, I don't need to."

Klaus gave her a confused look as she got up and walked out into the hall. The next thing he heard made him want to break down laughing.

"Hey Violet, Fiona, you want some leverage over Duncan and Quigley?"

"Oh, absolutely, what is it," He heard Violet say.

He then heard Duncan shout, "Oh, shit! Run!"

The last thing Klaus heard was the sound of Duncan and Quigley bolting out of the dorm in sudden fear of their girlfriends.

 **~The End!**

 **Yes Duncan and Quigley were watching That 70's Show. It's honestly one of the most nostalgic shows ever for me; it was the first teen/young adult show I was allowed to watch as a kid. I do love Hyde and Jackie too they're kind of amazing. Eric and Donna are perfect too. I love it so much. Anyway, see you!**


	19. Those First Eleven Days Part 1

**What were those days like at Prufrock before Olaf came? This is in canon with How It Should Have Been. Multipart short story! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Violet's POV**

Mr. Poe had dropped us off at a boarding school this time. Thank goodness we were out of those awful work uniforms from the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill. If I never see sawdust again it'll be too soon, and I think my siblings would agree with me on that. These Prufrock school uniforms were much nicer and actually a bit comfortable, to be honest. The three of us were sitting on a bench outside the administrator's office; the door read Vice Principal Nero. We were supposedly waiting for someone to call us inside, but no one ever did. It felt like we had been sitting here for an eternity. From inside the office, we heard the screechy noises of a violin that the player clearly didn't know how to play. Occasionally, we would hear two soft voices talking behind us on the other side of the bench, but we ignored them. It had been a while since we were around other kids our age, and we couldn't help being a bit shy about meeting our peers. Hopefully, we'll find some nice people at this school. After we lost our parents, other kids our age stopped talking to us entirely, including people who were once our friends.

Mr. Poe's sons, Edgar and Albert, seemed to believe that we had burned down our own house and killed our parents. I suppose other kids believed the same thing since the news was all over the _Daily Punctilio_ when it happened. We had the perfect alibi too since we were at Briny Beach. To everyone else it seemed to be fact, but we knew the truth. After some time, we finally saw another person arrive. A girl who was significantly shorter than Klaus and I, but she was also most likely 12 or 13. (Mr. Poe had mentioned that this was a school for students 11 and up.) She wasn't wearing a uniform, and instead wore a frilly pink skirt, pink blouse, white leggings, and a ruby brooch on her blouse, and was clearly wearing tap shoes based on how loud she walked. Ugh, I hate pink, and this girl gave me a headache just looking at her. She also had curled bright red hair and blue eyes; on her shoulder hung a small pink purse. She smiled at us, but I could tell it was a fake gesture; she looked stuck up as all Hell.

"Hello, cakesniffers," She said with her false smile beaming.

Klaus and I stood up to greet her politely as we had been taught by our parents. What on Earth did "cakesniffer" mean?

"Hello, uh..." I started, but I realized she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"Uh, um, what? Are you a blithering idiot? Everyone knows I'm Carmelita Spats! I'm the prettiest, nicest, smartest, most adorable, and the most popular girl in the whole school! I don't even have to wear a uniform because Vice Principal Nero likes me best! He's a genius! And he told me to give you a tour."

"Er, ok," I said, "I'm Violet Baudelaire, and this is my brother Klaus and our sister Sunny."

"Whatever, cakesniffers," Carmelita said, "Now let's get going, I don't have all day!"

 _"Prettiest, nicest, smartest, but definitely not modest,"_ I inwardly chuckled as I picked up Sunny and the three of us followed the girl down the hall.

Klaus leaned over to me and whispered, "What does cakesniffer mean?"

"I don't know, but I don't think it's a compliment," I replied quietly.

As Carmelita led us around the school, she kept vaguely pointing out which rooms were what without any extra details. "That's the nurse's office, there's the broom closet, that building is the dormitory, there's the cafeteria," and so on. Other students were now bustling about the halls at their lockers, and staring at us as we passed by.

"Why is everyone looking at us," I asked.

"Maybe it's because we're new," Klaus said.

"It's because your home was destroyed in a fire," Carmelita said with another smile.

How rude. She led us down another hall and we noticed the doors of a room that we were actually eager to see.

"I don't know what that room is, and I never go in there," Carmelita said.

Klaus rolled his eyes behind his glasses, "The sign says library."

Carmelita looked offended that he had corrected her, "Only a cakesniffer would notice something like that!"

Suddenly the library doors opened and a very kind looking woman walked out carrying a stack of books. She had dark brown hair in a bun, glasses, and a bright smile on her face at the sight of us. Carmelita had walked on ahead, but we stopped where we stood.

"Oh, hello! You must be the Baudelaires! I'd heard you were coming. I'm Miss Olivia Caliban, the school librarian."

We smiled at her; it was nice to see such a friendly face after our time at the lumber mill.

"A library is like an island of knowledge in a sea of ignorance."

"Particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area is flooded," Olivia smiled, finishing Klaus' statement.

Carmelita popped back up again, "Don't talk to the library lady because she smells funny."

Olivia gave a polite, but clearly annoyed, smile, "Carmelita, always a pleasure. Anyway, be sure to visit the library sometime."

She carried her books back inside as we continued on our tour. Carmelita took us out to the athletic field where she informed us the gym teacher, Ms. Tench, was at an away football game so she was allowed to force other kids to do jumping-jacks as exercises until she returned. What a strange school. Klaus noticed the school motto emblazoned on the broken down scoreboard outside. It read _Memento Mori_ , Klaus explained that it was Latin for "Remember death," or in this case "Remember you will die." What a terrible motto for a school! And here I was starting to think this might be a decent place after all our unfortunate experiences with Olaf. We were led back to the Vice Principal's office and Carmelita started whining about wanting a tip for her services. Even if we had any money on us, we wouldn't give her one.

She got furious and started banging on the office door, and lied saying it was us that had interrupted Vice Principal Nero's violin practice. She skipped away happily; great we haven't started classes yet and we might already have detention. Nero ushered us into his dingy, cramped office and started playing the violin again. Good God almighty; our father once said there is nothing worse in the world than someone who can't play the violin but insists on doing so anyway. I set Sunny down on a chair and my poor baby sister was covering her tiny ears with her hands at the noise from the battered instrument. Once he finished assaulting our hearing, he gave us a tired look.

"It is traditional to applaud when in the presence of a genius," Nero said.

We didn't believe he was a genius, but we didn't want to get in trouble on the first day, so we applauded him. He gave a little bow and thanked us. He then explained that we would be living in a little tin shack instead of a dorm, because we're orphans and don't have a parent or guardian to sign a permission slip. I tried asking if he could sign it but he said no, of course. We were told that we're allowed in the dorms to use the communal showers, but that's it; it's not perfect but it's a start at least. He then showed us the advanced computer system that the school had installed recently. It's supposed to help keep out Olaf, but we know it won't be any help if he comes in disguise like usual.

"Now, Violet, you'll be in Mr. Remora's class in Room One, and Klaus you're going to Mrs. Bass' class in Room Two. If you're late to class, you'll have your hands tied behind your back during meals. If you miss a meal then you'll have your glasses taken away at the next meal and you'll be forced to drink liquids off of your trays. Oh, and every night I hold a violin concert in the auditorium for 6 hours right after dinner, and if you ever miss my concert you have to buy me a bag of candy and watch me eat it!"

Well, these rules were certainly strict.

"What classroom is Sunny in," I asked, trying to stay polite even though this man was grating on my nerves.

Nero looked down at Sunny for a moment, "I told Mr. Poe that we'd have room for a baby here, but not in a classroom; she's too young. Sunny can work as my secretary! And if she's ever late to work then the same rules apply. Now get going to your shack, you start class in an hour!"

He almost shoved us out the door in a hurry to get us to leave. We walked outside to the shack that we were being forced to live in. It was small, had only one dirty window, had three hay bales instead of proper beds, tan fungus dripping from the ceiling and it was full of very angry crabs scuttling around. Hanging on the side wall was a spare uniform for each of us. We quickly hopped up on the hay bales to avoid the crabs.

Klaus sighed in frustration, "This is already turning out to be miserable."

"Well, this is a school. Let's see what we can learn," I reached into my pocket and pulled out the picture of our parents we had found in Aunt Josephine's safe, and hung it carefully on the wall.

We still had the piece of the spyglass that was in Klaus' pocket. We were still trying to solve the mystery of our parents' secret past. Hopefully, we can find out something, anything, while we're here.

I made it to Mr. Remora's class without being late after we dropped off Sunny at the office for her first day of work. Of course Klaus and I didn't like that our baby sister had to work instead of going to a daycare or something, but we had no choice in the matter. Vice Principal Nero wouldn't listen to us anyway. Mr. Remora was a tired-looking, older man who was chomping on a banana as he talked in a slow, boring voice.

"Ahem, as you can see students, we have a new orphan with us today," He gestured to me; I had taken a seat at the only empty desk in the room, which was also unfortunately in front of Carmelita.

The other students all turned to look at me and I silently studied their faces. All of them were frowning at me... well not all of them I noticed. An attractive boy sitting right next to me gave me a half-smile. I returned it kindly. Wait a minute, an _attractive_ boy? As Mr. Remora introduced himself and started telling random stories (apparently that was his idea of English class) I glanced at the boy beside me once more.

He was attractive. He looked to be the same age as me, 14, had pale skin, neatly combed black hair and wide, green eyes. He was also about a head taller than me. He wasn't looking at me, but he had the same small smile he had shown a second ago. He looked nice. And he certainly was good-looking. I turned back to pay attention to the lesson and smiled to myself a little. I didn't even know this guy's name and he was already the best thing here so far... I suppose I could get used to this place.

 **~At the same time, Klaus' POV**

I took a seat in the back of Mrs. Bass' classroom as I waited for the lesson to begin. I don't like to brag, but I've always been exceptionally good at school work so this should be easy enough for me. I've never failed a test in my life even. Mrs. Bass was an older looking woman with a cruel sneer and a stern voice.

"We have a new orphan joining us today," She gestured to me and everyone turned around to stare.

I studied the faces of my peers. They all frowned at me as if I had done something wrong. Well, not all of them were frowning actually. A pretty girl sitting right next to me gave me a small smile. I shyly returned it. Hold on, a _pretty_ girl? As Mrs. Bass started telling us to measure things with the rulers on our desks (which was apparently her idea of Math class) I glanced at the girl beside me.

She was pretty. Actually, she was really pretty. She looked to be the same age as Violet, 14, but she was a head shorter than me; despite me only being 12. (I'm very tall for my age as I've been told, but I'll be turning 13 soon enough.) She had black hair that went down over her shoulders gracefully, and partly fell over her eyes, pale skin, and wide, brown eyes. She wasn't looking at me, but she had the same nice smile graced her lips. She looked nice. I went back to paying attention to the lesson and felt a small smile cross my face. Pretty girls don't usually smile at me; I'm too much of a book-loving dork. I don't even know this girl's name and she's already the best thing here so far... I suppose I could get used to this place.

 **~Violet's POV**

After class the bell rang for lunch, which I only figured out was the case because of some kids talking about getting food before everyone else. It's not like we were given a schedule or anything. I met up with Klaus and we picked up Sunny from the office. We held hands, helping Sunny walk as we did, and talked about how our day had been so far.

"What was your class like," Klaus asked.

"Dreadfully boring, all Mr. Remora does is tell random stories about his life and have us take notes on the details. What about you?"

"Mrs. Bass is obsessed with the metric system. All she does is have us measure random objects and write down the measurements. It's so dull. And she's really strict too."

"How was work Sunny," I asked.

"Tedo," Sunny replied, which meant "Tedious." Sunny can't talk in full sentences yet, the only words she can say fluently are our names.

We passed by a bulletin board that had a time table on it telling us our daily schedule. I noticed a small sign that warned about thieves stealing people's possessions; _"If anyone has information contact Vice Principal Nero or Carmelita Spats."_ Hmm, that doesn't sound good. We arrived in the cafeteria and got in line with our trays. For a minute we thought something strange was going on because the waiter we had seen at the Anxious Clown restaurant on Damocles Dock was here as a cafeteria worker. He seemed eager to give us something, but apparently he lost whatever it was. We left the strange man as we got our food and started looking for someplace to sit.

"Oh, Baudelaires! There's room at my table! Oh, wait I forgot, cakesniffers aren't allowed at my table," Carmelita then started banging her silverware on the table and chanting, "Cakesniffing orphans in the orphan shack! Cakesniffing orphans in the orphan shack!" Soon the whole room was chanting with her. All I could do was stand by my siblings and wait for it to stop.

Then something amazing happened; the boy who had smiled at me in class stepped in front of us and shouted to stop the teasing, "Oh, leave them alone Carmelita! You're the cakesniffer and no one in their right mind would want to sit with you anyway."

He turned to us and smiled, "There's room at our table."

We smiled and followed him over to a table at the back of the room. A girl was sitting there already and she smiled at us too. We sat down across from the two. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Klaus blush a little when she smiled. Oh, this will be great! Watching my shy brother try, and fail, to talk to a pretty girl is always a treat. For all of Klaus' genius, girls were the one thing he couldn't figure out using his reading skills. It was then that I noticed these two people were obviously related; they looked identical with a few small exceptions.

"I'm Isadora Quagmire," The girl said, "And this is my brother Duncan."

"I'm Violet Baudelaire, this is my brother Klaus, and our sister Sunny," I replied.

"It's nice to meet you," Duncan smiled warmly at me.

I felt my face heat up as I smiled back. Damn. His smile was charming. And he was even better looking up close. His green eyes were amazing. Our eyes were locked. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted pretty quickly by Sunny.

"Roomie," She said, which meant "Get a room."

I blushed and forced myself to look away from Duncan. He was blushing too.

"So, how did you end up here," Klaus asked.

"We were brought here after our house was burned down. Our parents died in the fire," Isadora said looking down slightly, "Along with our brother Quigley..."

"We're triplets," Duncan finished sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You're orphans too," I said, quizzically.

"Yeah, we lived in the orphan shack for 3 semesters before you guys moved in. We got upgraded to the broom closet this morning," Duncan said.

"Our parents died in a fire as well," Klaus said.

Three semesters, I thought to myself. That's a year and a half. No wonder they're so nice; they've been here so long, and this school treats orphans terribly as far as we've seen. They must have wanted to help because they didn't have anyone to help them when they first arrived. Carmelita then stopped by to taunt us once more before skipping away loudly.

Duncan gave us a sympathetic look, "Ignore Carmelita, she's so awful Mrs. Bass is considering a life of crime. My sister wrote a poem about her."

Isadora reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a pitch black notebook; she flipped it open and recited her poem, "I'd rather eat a bowl of vampire bats, than spend an hour with Carmelita Spats."

"That's a couplet," Klaus commented, "Ogden Nash uses them."

"I know! I've read all of his work!"

Isadora smiled at Klaus as he smiled shyly and avoided eye contact with her. I noticed Sunny rolling her eyes at the scene; she'll understand when she's older. I inwardly snickered, we've only been here for 4 hours and my little brother already has a crush. I also saw Duncan glaring at Klaus a little bit; he must be the older triplet since he looks a little protective. I suppose it made sense; with so many bullies at this school looking out for your only family member is important.

Duncan pulled a dark green notebook out of his pocket, "Listen, if you need help with the crabs in the shack, I took some notes on them. I'm a journalist; I want to be a newspaper reporter someday so I take notes on my surroundings. They hate loud noises, so we taped metal to our shoes so we would make a lot of noise when we were in the shack."

I pulled out my black satin hair ribbon and went to tie my hair back, "Well, I'm an inventor, and I'm sure I can invent something more efficient than noisy shoes. Everyone empty your pockets and I'll see what I can work with."

The two triplets set their notebooks on the table and pulled out some pens, I pulled some pieces of scrap metal out, and Klaus pulled out our spyglass piece... and Isadora pulled out one that looked exactly like ours.

"Where did you get that," They asked in unison.

"From the ruins of the fire that killed our parents," Klaus answered.

They then put the two pieces together and they fit perfectly with a soft click. We agreed that we would talk about this later in the shack.

While we were in the shack with the Quagmires after dinner that day, we talked extensively about this apparent secret organization that our parents were involved in. I finished my invention to keep the crabs from bothering us. You know, with Duncan and Isadora with us here, it actually felt less terrible than it had before. They didn't mind being here with us either, despite how much grief this shack would have caused them. We told them everything, about Count Olaf and his troupe, Uncle Monty, Aunt Josephine, and about our time at the mill. I then showed them the picture of our parents.

"Those are our parents," Duncan said, pointing to a man and his wife standing beside our parents. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the same picture and showed it to us, except it had burnt edges, "We managed to grab this one from the ruins of our mansion. The frame kept it mostly intact."

"Why do you have this," Isadora asked.

"We found ours in Aunt Josephine's safe," I answered, pointing at the image again, "That's her and her husband, Ike Anwhistle."

"So our parents knew each other then," Duncan said, "But why don't we know each other?"

I shrugged, "They look pretty close in this picture. Perhaps they were friends?"

Isadora looked out the window, "We have to get going; we don't want to get in trouble for missing Nero's violin recital."

Duncan smiled as he stood up, "Yeah hopefully we can find some seats in the far back so we can be the first to leave when it's over."

I picked up Sunny and the five of us made our way to the auditorium. As we had hoped, Duncan managed to find us some seats together in the very back. I sat next to Duncan, with Sunny on my lap, and Klaus sat beside me, with Isadora on his other side. The Quagmires explained that we should still be able to talk as long as we're quiet. Mr. Remora and Mrs. Bass were patrolling the area, possibly counting out which students owed Vice Principal Nero candy. I noticed the librarian wasn't here; perhaps she didn't need to attend. Wait a minute, the library!

"Hey when can we go to the library tomorrow," I asked.

"We can go after the last class lets out," Isadora answered, "Why?"

"Because we can look for a book that might help us," I said, "It's called The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations. We saw it in Aunt Josephine's safe, but we didn't get to read it before her house got knocked into Lake Lachrymose by a hurricane."

Klaus smiled, "If we find it we can learn everything together."

"That sounds like a great idea! We'll go tomorrow," Duncan said as the lights in the room turned off and Nero stepped out on the stage.

We spent the rest of the recital talking and getting to know each other better. And the whole time I couldn't take my eyes off of my new charming journalist friend. After the recital, the Quagmires walked us back to our shack for the night and promised that they would pick us up in the morning.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **You can think of this as a prequel story. The book line about the 3 semesters was visibly removed from the tv show. (Remember the show is still an adaptation and changes like this are non-related to the books' facts)**


	20. Those First Eleven Days Part 2

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~The second day, Violet's POV**

Isadora and I took Sunny with us into the bathroom in the girls' dormitories to get ready for the day. As I helped Sunny get ready, Isadora was standing at a sink fussing with her hair in the mirror. Thankfully, we were the only ones in here at the moment.

I smirked at the sight, "Trying to impress someone?"

The poet looked at me with shock, a pink blush tinting her cheeks, "No!"

I rolled my eyes, "Right..."

"Wugatoo," Sunny said, I quickly translated her meaning, "I'm only one and even I know that's a lie."

Isadora looked embarrassed as she shakily asked, "Don't be silly, Violet, why would I need to impress someone?"

I set Sunny down and went to join her at the sink and straightened my uniform, as I calmly replied, "Because you wouldn't stop staring at Klaus since the second you two laid eyes on each other."

Isadora's face went from pink to red, "Oh, you noticed that?"

I chuckled, "Yeah it was pretty obvious."

She sighed, "If it bothers you at all I can just-"

"What are you talking about? Of course it doesn't bother me! Why would I want to stop my new best friend from having a crush on my brother?"

"Sorry I know I just met him; I just saw him in Mrs. Bass' class, and he well... he looked really cute. I may have spent the rest of class writing a few couplets about him."

I snickered, "Oh, now you're being honest?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sunny roll her eyes, and she mumbled something that I couldn't hear to translate. I suspect she wanted to scold us for acting like normal teenage girls. After a while of steady conversation as I too started smoothing out my hair, with Isadora explaining to me how the school worked, she reached into her school bag and pulled out what looked like a brand new make-up kit. I glanced curiously at it for a moment.

She noticed me staring as she started applying some light eyeshadow, "Oh, I'm sorry did you want some too? You can help yourself, I've got plenty," She set the kit closer to me.

"Where did you get this?"

She stopped for a moment and looked around before softly asking, "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Uh, sure?"

"I stole it."

"What?"

"It was Carmelita's; I stole it from her dorm," She finished.

I laughed, "Oh, so you guys are the thieves that we were warned about."

Isadora smiled, "Yeah, Duncan takes stuff from the boys' dorms all the time. We started because last winter I got the flu, since the shack was so damn cold. Duncan got frustrated, and when he came back he had stolen a couple blankets from the dorms for us. After that we just decided enough was enough and now we have a habit of taking things we need for survival while we're here. We don't take money, and we don't take anything too valuable."

"I suppose that makes sense," I said, "In a survival situation, sometimes you have to sacrifice your personal principles for your safety. But why did you take this? Surely you don't need it."

"I took this one out of spite; Carmelita tripped Duncan as we were walking to class one day and he got a nasty bruise from the concrete. I wanted to get back at her so I took some of her stuff."

I looked at the small kit for a moment, contemplating if I should take some or not, "Well, Carmelita is a jerk... I suppose taking a little wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit," Isadora said, "But I'm sure Duncan won't care if you're wearing make-up or not."

I felt a blush cross my face, "I don't see why Duncan would care about what I look like to begin with."

Isadora smirked, "I've seen dogs drool less over a rib-eye steak."

As I started applying some light make-up, Isadora's words got stuck in my head like glue. Did Duncan like me that way? Did I like him that way? I don't know. It felt like it should be too soon to tell. But then Klaus and Isadora were obviously enamored with each other the second they met. I don't necessarily believe in love at first sight, but there was definitely a spark between them. At the recital last night they spent the whole time talking to each other about their shared interest in poetry. After we finished getting ready, we met up with Klaus and Duncan outside the building and went to breakfast.

Class with Mr. Remora was just as boring as the previous day. But as I sat there taking down details from his stories I felt something warm on my leg. I looked over to see Duncan looking completely forward, and his hand was on my leg holding a note. I glanced at Mr. Remora for a moment to ensure that he wouldn't see and took the paper. I opened it on my lap.

 _I see Izzie told you about our little kleptomania secret._

I quickly wrote down my reply and passed it back to him while our teacher wasn't looking: _How did you figure it out?_

 _You're wearing the same make-up as my sister. It looks good on you by the way... not that I think you need it or anything!_

I smiled at his response and looked over at him. He avoided my eyes and I saw a blush on his cheeks. I felt a little jolt inside as I wrote out a reply, _Thank you._ We didn't continue our note-conversation, but after a while I noticed Carmelita reached over me and quickly dropped a piece of paper in my lap. I felt annoyed at first, and wanted to ignore her note, but I got curious and opened it.

 _So you cakesniffing orphans are dating already, huh?_

I blushed deeply at that. We are not dating! I only just met Duncan yesterday! I looked and noticed that Carmelita had passed a similar note to Duncan as he looked embarrassed as well. Neither of us responded to Carmelita's taunting notes. But as the lesson went on I came to a silent realization: I have a crush on Duncan Quagmire. When class finally let out for lunch, I walked with Duncan to meet up with our siblings.

"Uh, Violet," Duncan spoke up getting my attention, "I'm sorry about what Carmelita said. I hope it didn't make you too uncomfortable."

He was avoiding looking at me as I smiled and replied, "Oh, it's ok Duncan. It didn't bother me that much really." It was true; I wasn't bothered by the insinuation.

He grinned, flashing me that wonderful smile of his, "Ok, good. I just didn't want to make things awkward after we just became friends."

I giggled, "Of course I mean we practically just met."

"Yeah, but people are going to believe whatever Carmelita says so be prepared."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not worried, and you shouldn't be either. She can't hurt us."

 **~Later that day, after dinner**

The five of us made our way to the library to find Olivia ushering Carmelita out the doors and carrying a small box.

"You told me you liked To Kill a Mockingbird so I did it for you," Carmelita said.

"That is most certainly NOT what I meant," Olivia said sternly, "Now go give that thing a proper burial!"

Carmelita turned to us and smiled evilly, "I smell people whose parents were killed in fires!" She then skipped away.

Olivia smiled at us, "Quagmires, Baudelaires, it's nice to see you, and together I might add! What can I do for you?"

Duncan held up his journalist notebook and showed his notes, "We're looking for a book. It's called The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations. It's important that we find it."

"Well come on in and I'll see what I can do for you. We have to be careful though, it's almost closing time and I wouldn't want you kids to get in trouble."

We followed her inside and she went to her filing cabinet, "Do you know the book's Dewey Decimal Number?"

"No, we don't even know who wrote it," Klaus responded.

Olivia nodded and flipped through her files as we waited. She then turned to us with a sad look.

"I'm sorry children, I'm afraid I don't have it," She said, "But if you're willing to wait a few days I do have a friend who sends me books regularly and I can ask her if she has it."

"I guess it'll have to be that way," I said.

"In the meantime, you're welcome to any other books here that might interest you. If I find it I'll let you know immediately. Now you should get going before you miss Nero's concert."

We thanked her and left. Once again we talked through the entire recital and again the Quagmires walked us back to our shack after it was over. However this time something else happened as we were trying to sleep that night. We heard a soft knock on our shack door; Sunny was already out cold, probably tired from her work day, so Klaus and I opened it to see that the Quagmires had returned.

"Is something wrong," I asked.

Isadora smiled, "Nope, we just brought something for you guys."

They reached into their school bags and pulled out three blankets.

"It's not much but we just wanted to give you something to help out your stay here," Duncan said, "It's been pretty cold at night recently and we know how it feels."

Klaus and I smiled at them and accepted their gifts. "Thank you," I said.

"But we really shouldn't be letting you guys steal like this," Klaus said.

"Oh, no these were spares from the broom closet," Isadora said, "They're not from the dorms, honest."

I chuckled, "Right, we believe you."

"Hey you don't have to believe us, but it is the truth," Duncan said.

 **~Duncan's POV**

After my sister and I gave the Baudelaires our gifts and said good night, we stealthily walked back to our broom closet. I haven't stopped thinking about Violet since I met her. She's so nice, intelligent, beautiful... I could go on about her for hours. I think I might have a crush on her. That only made the note Carmelita gave me in class today more awkward. I couldn't stop imagining the beautiful inventor as my girlfriend.

I had also noticed Klaus seemed a little too interested in Isadora. As the oldest triplet, it's my job to look after her. I could tell she likes him too because she kept staring at him, and I'm positive that Klaus' name has made it into more than a few couplets. Not that Isadora would ever let me look at her precious notebook; it was just an observational guess. Quigley and I swore that we would never let a guy near Isadora without our express permission. I guess it falls to me though since my brother isn't with us anymore. I know he's up there in heaven laughing at how pathetic I acted around Violet today. I inwardly sighed; Quigley was the one who was good with girls, not me. I'm just a shy dork. But maybe I can get Violet to like me too... I hope.

 **~End of Chapter!**


	21. Those First Eleven Days Part 3

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~The fifth day, Normal POV**

The days passed the same way for the Baudelaires and the Quagmires. Their routine began with them having breakfast, going to class, then lunch, then back to class, then dinner, and finally ending the day with a terrible violin recital. It was worsened by the fact that Olivia still had not found the book they were so desperate to find. But it wasn't all bad for them because they at least had each other.

Duncan and Violet had started a trend of passing notes regularly during class to entertain themselves from Mr. Remora's boring stories. On more than one occasion Carmelita would drop a teasing note to the two about their rumored relationship, but they ignored her. Though the inventor and the journalist had begun harboring secret feelings for each other, neither one wanted to ruin what they had and kept their attraction silent. Or at least that's how they intended to do it. Klaus could often catch Violet staring at Duncan when they were all together, and Isadora was well aware of Duncan's real feelings for Violet. She could always tell when her brother was interested in a girl. Klaus and Isadora hadn't fared much better the past few days. Their attraction to each was far more obvious despite how much they wished to hide it.

And Sunny couldn't help rolling her eyes when she watched her siblings interact with their crushes. She was still very young, and didn't understand these feelings yet, but she would change her mind someday when she's older. She was happy for them really; she wanted them to be together. She just thought teenagers were weird.

As Violet sat with Duncan in Mr. Remora's class, her mind was slightly distracted by thoughts of her newfound attraction. Sure Violet Baudelaire was no stranger to cute boys, but she had never had feelings like this before. Something inside her said that there was more to this than just a crush. What she didn't know was that Duncan was thinking the same thing about her.

The bell rang for lunch and Violet and Duncan stood from their desks to leave. Unfortunately, Carmelita decided to play a nasty trick on Violet today, and tripped her just as she started walking. Thankfully, Duncan caught her as she fell.

He helped her regain her balance, "Are you alright?"

Violet smiled at his sweet concern for her, "Yeah I'm fine. Thank you for catching me."

Duncan ran a hand through his hair nervously; her smile had melted his insides, and said, "You're welcome. I wasn't going to let you get hurt."

They met up with their siblings and went to lunch without another word on the incident; although they definitely thought about it more than once afterwards in secret, not that their siblings needed to know of course.

"I think Mr. Remora just went through a pretty bad break up. His last 8 stories today have been about his miserable love life," Violet joked as they ate their lunch.

"Mrs. Bass would have been pissed," Isadora said, "She must have the worst romantic luck because every time someone mentions relationship issues in class she gets super mad."

"She gets so mad she lectures us for an hour instead of having us do her pathetic excuse for schoolwork," Klaus added.

"Perhaps she's just bitter," Duncan suggested casually.

"Good morning cakesniffers!"

The five children held back groans as Carmelita walked up to their table. She smirked and placed her hands on the table and leaned forward slightly.

"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I just wanted to say that none of you will have to worry about relationship issues yourselves. Especially you, Isadora, you're so ugly no guy would ever want to date you!"

Isadora frowned, and Duncan glared at the annoying girl. However, before anyone could respond to the insult, Carmelita shrieked out in pain. Sunny had bitten her hand.

"Bosh'tet," Sunny said angrily.

"Sunny Veronica Baudelaire! Wherever did you learn that kind of language," Violet asked her eyes wide with shock.

Sunny looked down guiltily and mumbled, "Olaf..."

"Well don't say it again. You can swear when you're older," Violet replied.

Carmelita was holding her hand against her chest as it was now red, and possibly bleeding, from Sunny's sharp teeth, "The stupid baby orphan bit me!"

"Maybe you should think twice before you call someone ugly. Now go away Carmelita," Klaus said, calmly while glaring at her.

Carmelita gaped at him for a moment before stomping away in her loud tap shoes. Isadora looked down at her food, avoiding eye contact with the others and feeling very self-conscious.

"Thanks for biting her Sunny. She deserved that," Duncan said with a smile. Sunny nodded at him in response.

Violet gave Isadora a sympathetic look, "Don't listen to her, Izzie. She's just a jerk."

"It's ok Violet," Isadora replied, still avoiding her gaze, "I'm used to it. She always tells me that. This is just the first time she's done it in front of you guys."

"Ahem, uh Isadora," Klaus spoke up getting her attention, she glanced up at him, "If it helps, I think you're beautiful, and any guy would be lucky to date you..."

He quickly looked back down at his tray as a deep blush crossed his face. He didn't speak for the rest of lunch. Violet and Duncan smirked at each other, and Sunny rolled her eyes. Isadora simply looked back at her own tray with a shy smile as her insides fluttered at the compliment. All she could bring herself to do was mutter a quiet "thank you" for his kind words.

As Duncan was walking back to class with Violet after lunch he whispered something to her, "Izzie and I were planning on getting some snacks from the teachers' lounge tonight. You want to help?"

Violet gave him a shocked look and pulled him aside in the hall so they wouldn't be overheard, "What are you talking about?"

"Ok so I heard some guys in the boys' dorm talking about how the teachers' lounge has all kinds of sweets inside. Cookies, cakes, and other treats; all the stuff we're not allowed to have at lunch. And it's where Vice Principal Nero keeps his candy stash for when students miss his recitals. I was talking with Izzie about it before bed last night. She wants to see if they have pocky, and we'll share whatever we get with you guys. Do you and your siblings want to help us out?"

Violet contemplated his offer, "What's pocky?"

"Oh, they're these little cookie stick things covered in frosting; my sister is addicted to them. If they do have some she might not be willing to share," Duncan smiled, "So what do you say?"

"What if we get caught?"

He shrugged, "We'll take the blame."

She paused for a moment before replying, "Only if Klaus and Sunny agree."

He nodded, "Of course."

It was night time now after another of Nero's long recitals and the Baudelaires were on board with the Quagmires' plan to raid the teachers' lounge. Duncan and Isadora walked stealthily to the shack to meet up with them.

"You like Violet don't you," Isadora said calmly.

"What? No," Duncan's face reddened in the darkness, "I don't like her."

Isadora giggled quietly, "Yeah you do. That's why you asked her to help out with this."

He avoided her gaze, "I didn't ask _her_ , I asked if she and her siblings wanted to help. You asked Klaus if he was up for it!"

"Yeah because he said he'd never had pocky before; I want to get some and share it with him."

Duncan smirked, "Lady and the Tramp style?"

Isadora blushed vigorously, "N-No!"

Duncan stifled his laughter to avoid them getting caught. They reached the shack and proceeded to lead the Baudelaires through the empty school to the teachers' lounge.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Klaus whispered, "If we get caught-"

"Relax, Klaus, we never get caught," Duncan said, "Besides you agreed to it."

"This had better be worth it," Violet said.

"It will be, and we won't take too much, promise," Isadora responded.

They reached the room and looked around carefully to ensure that no one would see them. Violet helped pick the lock on the door and they quickly ducked inside. The room had several tables and chairs, a refrigerator in the back next to what looked like a pantry cabinet and a few countertops along the wall. They didn't turn the lights on to keep themselves hidden. Isadora offered to keep watch and Klaus joined her at the door. Violet set Sunny on the floor and went with Duncan over to the cabinet. As they had been told, inside were all kinds of snacks. Duncan opened his school bag and Violet helped him grab things off the shelves.

"Hey, Izzie, how much pocky do you want," Duncan whispered.

"Do I even need to answer that? You know what I'll say!"

"Right, a shit-ton, got it," Duncan chuckled.

"Someone's coming," Klaus said.

Klaus and Isadora ducked behind a desk, and Duncan and Violet shut the cabinet doors and quickly hid under a table with Sunny. They waited in silence, practically holding their breath as the door swung open to reveal Carmelita had entered the room. She looked at the door curiously for a moment, possibly wondering why it wasn't locked, before shrugging and walking over to a counter-top in the room. From their positions they watched as she pulled a chair over to the counter and stood on it. On the surface was a cake sitting in a container. Carmelita opened the container and proceeded to stick her nose right into it. They had to choke back laughter at the sight. She then pulled back and shook her head, her face now covered in powdered sugar. She put the lid back on the container and quickly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. The five orphans let their laughter out as soon as she vanished. They finished filling the bag with treats and quickly made their way back to the shack.

"I can't believe that Carmelita did that," Isadora said as she bit into her pocky.

"Yeah too bad we can't call her out on it, or else she'd know we were in there," Violet said.

Duncan passed a few boxes of pocky to the others, "You guys might want to try it before my sister takes them all for herself."

Isadora rolled her eyes, "Duncan I was going to share! Besides if Quigley were here he'd take at least half the bag before anyone else."

"Yeah you're right."

As the five of them ate their snacks they entertained themselves by Duncan and Isadora telling stories about their brother.

"And this one time we had to watch as Quigley walked up to this girl and said the stupidest thing I've ever heard my brother say in my life, 'excuse me miss, do you have a map, because I keep getting lost in your eyes,'" Duncan said rolling his eyes.

Violet laughed, "If a guy said that to me I'd smack him. That's the dumbest pick up I've ever heard."

"It really is, but it actually worked," Isadora added, "She gave him her number and a kiss on the cheek."

Violet and Klaus looked stunned, "How?"

Isadora smiled, "It's easy to break it down. You see Duncan got the intelligence and observational skills, Quigley got the charisma and the sense of humor, and I got the creativity and the bewitching good looks. So everybody wins."

"Yeah Quigley had a way with women," Duncan said, "We're pretty sure that he would have settled down once he found the right girl, but he chose to date around constantly. When we used to go to public school before the fire we went to a school dance because our parents wanted us out of the house that night for some business thing. We suspect it had something to do with the secret organization now. But Quigley went into that dance with one girl on each arm, and left hours later with two completely different girls."

"And somehow he managed to get all four of them to agree to make out with him in a dark corner of the school," Isadora added.

"How on Earth did your parents allow him to act like that," Klaus asked, "If I acted like that our mother would have slapped me."

"Who said anything about them knowing," Duncan replied, "I loved my brother, but damn his attitude."

"Yeah I lost a lot of friends because he would date them, and then break up with them, and they didn't want to be around me anymore because it'd be too awkward to be around him," Isadora said, "Thankfully, Duncan is the gentlemanly one."

Violet blushed a little realizing what Isadora was suggesting. The inventor chose to ignore her comment. Duncan then went into a story about the time that Quigley somehow convinced him to take their father's Ferrari around town for a joy ride. As the five of them stayed up talking they felt more at peace than they had in a long while. This school may have been a miserable place, but they had found people to share happy moments with. Once they decided it was time for bed, based on Sunny falling asleep, Duncan and Isadora went back to their broom closet. Violet and Klaus collapsed on their hay bales in the shack.

"So, when are you going to tell Izzie you like her," Violet whispered.

"I don't like her!"

Violet chuckled, "Right... that's why you keep staring at her like a love struck idiot."

She turned the opposite direction, and pulled her blanket over herself. Her mind immediately shifted back to Duncan again. And as they fell asleep that night, Violet and Klaus came to a realization. Violet had fallen in love with Duncan, and Klaus had fallen in love with Isadora.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Probably be one more part to this short story.**


	22. Those First Eleven Days Final Part

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~The tenth day, Olivia's POV**

I've looked everywhere for that book and I still haven't found it! I should be ashamed to call myself a librarian! Those wonderful children were so patient though. They had said it was important; I've never even heard of this book. The Baudelaires and the Quagmires were the only students here that went to the library for fun. It was just after the last class let out today and I had noticed that Klaus and Isadora were here to read. I was putting away some books as I overheard their soft conversation.

"Hey, Izzie, is that a book about Lord Byron?"

"Yeah it is; he's my favorite poet. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious; he's not my favorite, but I've always admired him."

Isadora began gushing about her interests to her friend. I glanced at them and couldn't help smirking at the way they looked at each other as they talked. I've seen that look before. Ah, young love, how cute!

"So who's your least favorite poet," Klaus asked.

Isadora groaned, "Edgar Guest."

"You hate him too?"

Isadora perked up, "Yes, his work is so tedious."

"And his topics are overly sentimental."

"Wow, finally someone agrees."

"Yeah, my mother used to threaten to read his poetry to me whenever I misbehaved," Klaus said.

"Ouch, that's a pretty terrible punishment. She must have been really strict."

Klaus shrugged, "Not usually. She just did it to get us to behave. Thankfully, I never got in trouble for staying up late reading with a flashlight under my pillow."

Isadora giggled, "I did that a few times too. But since Duncan and Quigley shared a room with me I'd still get caught."

Klaus chuckled, "Did they tell on you or something?"

"Yes, well Quigley would. So who's your favorite poet then?"

"You."

Isadora's eyes widened at him and she breathed out a quiet, "What...?"

I then heard the sound of scuffling, and Klaus had bolted out of the library, leaving behind the book he had been reading. Isadora stood and put away her book before grabbing her school bag. I walked over to her.

"He's certainly charming, isn't he," I joked.

"I swear I heard him say I'm his favorite poet," The young girl smiled, "I must have misheard him."

"I don't think you did. You'll forgive me for my unintentional eavesdropping, but I heard him clear as day."

"I'm his favorite poet..." She said quietly, her cheeks went red.

I chuckled, and went back to my work as she turned to leave the library. Those two are adorable together. They seem so perfect for each other; maybe they'll get married someday.

 **~At the shack, Duncan's POV**

"I hate reviewing Mr. Remora's stories," I groaned from my spot on the hay bale beside Violet, "They're so dull."

"I don't know how you got down all this stuff from his last ones I'm pretty sure we were passing notes for most of class today," Violet replied.

"I'm good at multitasking. Besides as a journalist, you get really good at taking notes."

"Oh, I'm sure," Violet went back to reading from her own notes on the subject; we have a quiz tomorrow so we were studying.

I looked through my notebook and subtly glanced at her as she read quietly. God she was so heavenly. I couldn't help myself. I'm in love with her. I just know it. But she'd never like me that way right? It'd be too awkward to ruin our friendship now. But I couldn't stop the feeling in my heart whenever she'd smile at me, or how happy I was just to see her every day. My eyes went back to my book and I turned to a specific page. As a journalist I take notes on everything.

 _Notes on Violet Baudelaire: Beautiful, intelligent, creative, inventor, passionate, caring, loyal, kind and wonderful…_

The list went on from there, all observational descriptions on things I loved about her. I decided to add something to the page. I wrote D.Q+V.B at the bottom. I can never show this to anyone. Isadora would laugh at me and immediately tell Violet. She is her best friend after all. Sunny can't read yet so I don't have to worry about her. But Klaus; I'm not sure how he'd react. Violet is older than him, but that doesn't mean he probably wouldn't still be protective. And after everything they've told us about their unfortunate experiences, I would think that Klaus would be as protective of his sisters as I am.

Suddenly the door to the shack opened and Klaus was standing there carrying Sunny, "Come on you guys we don't want to be late for dinner."

Violet and I stood and followed them to the cafeteria. Throughout dinner, Violet and I couldn't help noticing that Klaus and Isadora were avoiding eye contact with each other. And they would stutter whenever they tried to talk to each other. I felt my overprotective brother instincts kick in. I'll ask my sister what he did later.

"Attention students," The voice over the loudspeaker rang, "This is Vice Principal Nero, and I have an announcement. Your gym teacher Ms. Tench has fallen ill while she was at the away game the past few days. I have been approached by a new applicant who will be taking over. There will be a pep rally tomorrow to introduce him meaning classes are cancelled. And after that will be my violin recital as usual."

The speaker turned off and the five of us groaned. Pep rallies are awful.

"I don't know which I hate more, the word 'pep' or the word 'rally,'" Violet said.

"Same here, but we'll try to sneak in some fruit for you guys," Isadora said casually.

Violet smiled, "Thank you."

"It's not a problem," I added, "Our broom closet is right by the fruit bowl where all the fresh fruit is."

"I don't mean for the fruit," Violet continued staring directly at me, "I mean for making us feel at home."

"We haven't felt at home for a long time," Klaus spoke up, "But with you two, we feel more at home than we have since we lost our parents." Sunny voiced her agreement.

Isadora and I smiled at them and she said, "Well that's what friends are for."

After the recital that night, Isadora and I were walking back to our broom closet. But we were stopped by someone. A tall, creepy, man with one long eyebrow, shiny eyes, and I noticed a tattoo of an eye on his left ankle. He was exactly as the Baudelaires had described: this was Count Olaf.

He started talking to us, but it seemed he must have mistaken us for the Baudelaires. Once he corrected himself, he had realized who we were. How does he know about our family sapphires? Did he know our parents? How does he know our names? Oh, I guess he doesn't know since he mistakenly called me Quigley; we all look alike, but my brother and I always tried to make our appearances more distinct. He got distracted by the sound of a cafeteria worker talking to Carmelita. Isadora and I took the opportunity and ran to our broom closet, locking ourselves inside.

"What do we do," Isadora asked worriedly.

"First we have to warn the Baudelaires at the pep rally tomorrow."

She looked scared, and I wasn't fairing much better. We went to bed for the night contemplating how to deal with this situation tomorrow.

 **~The eleventh day, normal POV**

Duncan and Isadora rushed to the pep rally where the Baudelaires were already waiting. They hadn't seen any sign of Olaf since last night, but that only made them more worried. Once they reached the athletic field they quickly sat down beside the Baudelaires.

"Guys, we think you're in terrible danger," Duncan said.

Unfortunately, right before Violet could ask what was wrong; Vice Principal Nero started the rally. Duncan and Isadora tried to tell them what was going on, but the rest of the students' cheering drowned out their voices.

"Now, please welcome your new gym teacher, Coach Genghis!"

The Baudelaires felt their blood boil as they looked at the stage and saw the man they dreaded so much, Count Olaf. The Quagmires could only watch as the Baudelaires tried several tactics to reveal him to the crowd but none of them worked. Olaf then announced that he would start an exercise program for orphans called S.O.R.E. He only chose the Baudelaires for it, much to Duncan and Isadora's dismay. When the rally let out Duncan and Isadora joined the Baudelaires at the shack to discuss the situation.

"Don't worry Baudelaires; don't feel disgraced, the Quagmire triplets are on the case."

"You're kind and generous friends," Violet started, "But we can't let you get involved."

"If Olaf tried to hurt you," Klaus didn't finish his sentence but everyone could tell what he meant.

"We're going to help you," Isadora said.

"And there's nothing you can say that will change our minds," Duncan added with a smile, "But for now, let's get to the recital and we'll talk about a plan tomorrow."

At the recital, Duncan noticed how Violet was trying not to panic about Olaf showing up. He calmed her down by holding her hand and telling her stories about terrible concerts he's been forced to go to. Isadora wrote a couplet that she hoped would help Klaus feel better about the situation, "It would be an incredible stroke of luck, if Coach Genghis were hit by a truck." Klaus had smiled at her and replied, "That would be an incredible stroke of luck." In the back of his mind, Klaus realized in that moment that he wanted to marry Isadora someday.

When the Baudelaires went to sleep that night in their shack wondering what Olaf would have planned to do to them tomorrow, they each had the same thought in their heads: they would _not_ let Count Olaf hurt Duncan and Isadora Quagmire.

If only they had been able to keep that promise when he kidnapped the two triplets ten days later; Violet, Klaus, and Sunny swore that they would save the people they cared about. And as the three were taken back to the city by Mr. Poe to live with their new guardians, the Squalors, they knew they would find them and solve the mystery of their families' pasts together.

 **~The End!**

 **The ending of my short prequel story! See you!**


	23. Unfavorable Coworker

**This is another one shot that takes place before the kids were born; begin!**

 **Universe***

 **Warning: mature topics ahead, read at your own risk.**

 **~Duncan's POV**

"Duncan!"

I looked up from my paperwork to see someone in the doorway of my office, "Yeah Linda?"

"Miss Mallahan wants you in her office for some work."

I nodded and went through the door down the hall to the Editor in Chief's office. Moxie Mallahan took over the _Daily Punctilio_ last year just before Quigley and Fiona got married and it was honestly one of the best things to happen ever. That woman is a real journalist and she completely turned this newspaper around in just a few short months. I've been working here ever since, and I loved every second of it. I inwardly snickered at the fact that just a few years ago I would have rather jumped off a bridge than work at this newspaper. Funny how life changes like that, isn't it? I knocked on the door and heard a voice say, "Come in."

I went inside and smiled at my boss, "You wanted to see me Miss Mallahan?"

The older blonde woman smiled back at me from behind her desk, "Yes I did, Mr. Quagmire, please have a seat."

I took a seat in front of the desk and saw that we were not alone in the room. In the chair beside me sat a girl about my age that I hadn't seen before. I nodded politely at her and waited for Moxie to talk.

"I called you over to introduce your new coworker," Moxie explained, "This is Madison Li. Miss Li, this is Duncan Quagmire, he's one of our best reporters here."

She smiled and shook my hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"Duncan, I've recently hired Madison and I want you to just show her around and get her settled in. You won't have an office of your own quite yet, but I'm sure a desk down the hall will do just fine for now. Get to it; you've got jobs to do."

We stood up and I followed her out of the office. She smiled at me again.

"So what are we going to do first?"

I shrugged, "I guess I could just give you a quick tour. I have work to get back to myself."

She nodded and I started showing her around the office and introducing her to people. The whole time we kept up a polite conversation.

After a while, Madison asked a question that made me a bit unsettled, "Is that a wedding ring on your hand?"

I gave her a puzzled look and glanced at the wedding band on my left ring finger. It had the inscription D.Q.+V.Q., for my love Violet Quagmire; she had the same inscription on her ring. We've been married for three happy years now and I still have trouble believing that I found the most wonderful, perfect, woman at such an awful place like Prufrock Preparatory School. But we're together now, and happy. We've even started thinking about having a kid.

"Yes it is," I replied with a calm smile, "My wife and I have been married for about three years."

She seemed a little intrigued by my statement, given her facial expression, but quickly snapped back into being professional, "Ahem, so where's my desk?"

"Oh, it's right over here across from Linda."

I showed her to her work station and she set about putting her things away. Linda was an older woman and she was very kind to me. I think it made her happy to see younger employees working here; some people think it helps the job. Once Madison finished setting up her work-space I waved good-bye and went back to my office to continue my work.

 **~Linda's POV (because why not right?)**

"Hi, I'm Linda," I greeted the new girl with a smile.

She wasn't paying attention, but quickly noticed me after a minute, "Oh, sorry hello I'm Madison."

I gave her a wary look, "Don't you even think about it."

She sat down at her desk and pretended to look confused, "Think about what?"

"About Mr. Duncan Quagmire," I replied adjusting my glasses, "That young man is married. I've met his wife Violet, and she is just the sweetest thing alive. They're thinking about having a baby too. So don't think I don't see you eyeing that boy like a piece of meat. Keep your eyes on your work, missy."

She gave me a cold look, "Thank you for telling me, I will... consider your advice."

I've seen her type before. The girls that have a weakness for married men. Girls like her think that men are more attractive if they're "off-limits" so to speak. This is not going to be pretty once Violet sees that girl giving her husband the bedroom eyes.

 **~Later that day, Violet's POV**

I pulled out my phone and called Duncan, "Hey honey, do you want a ride home from work?"

"Sure I'll meet you outside the building, love."

I told him I'd be there in a few and hung up the phone. I left the printing business that my husband and I owned and got into my car to head over to Duncan's office. Upon reaching the _Daily Punctilio_ building I pulled up in the parking lot and saw my husband standing outside. He was talking to a woman I had never seen before.

I got out of the car and walked up to them, "Hey honey."

Duncan grinned at me and gave me a quick kiss, "Hello love, sorry for being distracted. I was just talking with my new coworker."

He gestured to the woman behind him who was giving me an... intriguing expression. There was something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it, but she didn't look very inviting. Nonetheless, I like to be nice to people so I introduced myself.

"Hi, I'm Violet Quagmire, what's your name?"

She seemed to begrudgingly shake my hand, "I'm Madison Li."

"Well I'm ready to head home whenever you are Violet," Duncan said.

I nodded, "Sure honey, why don't you wait in the car for a second?"

He shrugged and did as I had told him. I carefully observed Madison's reaction to him walking away and my unfortunate suspicions were confirmed: she looked sad to see him leave and upset that I was here. This _bitch_ is crushing on my _husband_. I didn't want to cause a scene so I, as politely as possible, waved good-bye to her and got into the car.

I couldn't help a small bit of satisfaction filling me up as I drove us home and away from that girl. I was so distracted that I didn't even notice Duncan asking me how my day was. When I didn't answer he just shrugged it off, and went back to looking through his new journalist notebook. On the inside, I was seething with rage. How _dare_ she look at my husband like that?

It took me years to get used to the idea of getting married again after the unfortunate experience I had with the subject at the mere age of 14. But I'd never really needed to worry about the possibility of Duncan being unfaithful. He was the most damn faithful man on earth! He hardly even looked at other women when we were out together unless he had to or they were a friend. Even before we were together he proved his unwavering loyalty to me by disguising himself as my brother and running laps in our place so we could study for a dumb test that would let us stay together. Duncan Quagmire is a faithful man... why am I so worried all of a sudden?

I love Duncan more than anything. He's a wonderful husband and the only man in the world I ever wanted to truly be with forever. We're thinking about having a kid too and I couldn't be more excited. I know Klaus and Isadora have been trying for one, which was way more information than I needed, and Quigley and Fiona were working on it too. I shouldn't be feeling this way about the love of my life and the future father of my child. And that bitch was making me, Violet Quagmire, doubt my husband! That is unforgivable! What on earth am I going to do?

 _"Maybe I could ask one of my sisters-in-law if they have any advice? Yeah I'll do that tonight. I'll ask Fiona; she's mentioned unfavorable coworkers at her science lab in the past, so perhaps she'll know something that will help."_

Later that night at our estate I left Duncan in our house, he was doing some work so he didn't mind, and went over to see Fiona.

"Violet, do you need something?"

"I just want to talk for a minute," She nodded and let me into her house.

We sat down on the couch, "So what's up?"

"Well firstly, where is Quigley? I'd prefer if this conversation was just between us."

"He's working late today; is something wrong?"

I sighed, "Promise me that what I'm about to say won't leave this room?"

She blinked at me and adjusted her glasses, "Of course, if it's something serious."

"Well... I picked up Duncan from work today and when I got there he was talking to his new coworker. It's this girl named Madison. I introduced myself and she... well she gave me a very cold look. Fiona, this girl is crushing on Duncan."

Her jaw fell open in shock, "Are you sure?"

"Yes! She wouldn't stop staring him! It was horrible! And Duncan, poor naïve Duncan, he didn't notice a thing or react one bit. Oh my god, what do I do?"

Fiona patted my back comfortingly, "Oh, Violet, Duncan loves you! He'd never stray; he has too much character. You shouldn't worry about it."

I buried my face in my hands, "I know and I... I do trust him, but what if _she_ tries to do something? She could take advantage of him or god knows what she'd do to me if she's desperate."

"Ok listen; it's a scientific fact that unfortunately our brains don't allow us to ignore attractive people. It's just how we're wired to function. But that doesn't mean we're always going to act on those mild attractions. You want to know something? When I first met you guys on the Queequeg, I thought Klaus was a little cute. But I respected that he and Isadora were together, and Quigley was cuter; and now I can't live without my charming cartographer husband. I even told Isadora this once before, and she was happy I was honest about it. She said she was worried that Klaus was attracted to me at some point too, but he reassured her that he only had eyes for her."

"So what do you suggest I do? How do I make sure this girl doesn't try to take Duncan from me?"

Fiona gave me a nervous smile, "Well, when I was first starting my job at the science lab I had a small problem with a coworker who wouldn't leave me alone. He acted like there were no other female scientists in the building, which there are plenty but apparently I was the most attractive to him. This guy would take any chance he could to talk to me and even asked me out several times. I told him no, he didn't listen. I told him I was getting married, it didn't register in his brain. I know this is a different situation than what you're going through but the same principle still stands."

"So what did you do?"

I saw her face redden behind her glasses, "You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you..."

Ok, now I'm curious, "What is it?"

She looked embarrassed, "I finally told Quigley what was going on at work and he got super protective of course. And... his solution was to um... Ahem, mark his territory..."

I raised a brow in confusion, "Mark his territory?"

My poor sister-in-law looked faint with embarrassment as she whispered the explanation in my ear. I gaped at her.

"Fiona! You and Quigley... In your office?! You pervert!"

"Yes Violet, please scream it louder; I'm sure that Klaus and Isadora didn't hear you all the way over in their house..." Her face was now a dark shade of red.

I started to blush, "Oh, god Fiona you're not suggesting that I... do that... are you?"

"I'm not saying that you should! I was just explaining how I got rid of the problem. We went to the lab around the time I noticed that jerk guy arrived every day and we... you know in my office... after that he never talked to me again. I don't know if he saw or if he just, um, heard but it worked. Quigley was damn proud of himself for it too. It was his idea; I just agreed to it."

"And why did you agree to it? You could have gotten fired!"

"At first I was worried about that too, and then I thought about and I realized that it actually sounded kind of... fun. So we tried it and..."

"Yes...?"

"It was amazing. The idea that we could get caught... it was exciting, ok?"

I stared at her in awe, "You were turned on by the idea of getting caught with your husband in your office?"

She nodded, still visibly flustered at the idea. I stood up.

"Ok well thanks for the advice, but I think I'll try to find a less humiliating solution to my problem."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Fiona replied as she stood up too, "But you know just keep the option open."

I pinched the bridge of my nose in mild frustration, "I guess I'll keep it in mind."

I wasn't lying of course. As I walked back over to my house on our lot the idea was stuck in my head like glue. What if we did _that?_

 _"For god's sake Violet,"_ I internally screamed, _"You may be married, but you still have standards! Just because Quigley and Fiona are a more... adventurous couple doesn't mean that what you do with Duncan isn't perfectly fine the way it is. I would never dream of doing something that provocative. Besides Duncan wouldn't... oh, who am I kidding he would totally agree."_

As the night went on with Duncan and I relaxing in our home after our long day, my thoughts kept shifting back to the idea. Alright, I'm probably going to hate myself for this, but I need to confront Duncan.

I went into our bedroom where he was already lying in bed waiting for me, "Honey, I want to talk to you about something."

He gave me a worried look, "Is everything ok, Violet?"

"Well sort of... no. It's about Madison..."

He looked confused, "What about her? I know she came off a little rude and weird but I'm sure it's nothing-" He interrupted himself as his already wide eyes went even wider with realization, "You're jealous!"

"Of course I am Duncan! Did you _see_ the way she looked at you? She was practically drooling! It took every last ounce of my energy not to smack the bitch!"

He started chuckling and got up and walked up to me, "Violet I can't believe you let that stupid girl get to you like this."

I looked down guiltily, "I'm sorry Duncan... I trust you honestly I just... got scared that _she_ might do something, that's all."

He pulled me close and lifted my chin up to look me in the eye, "Love, don't be ridiculous. Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ that girl could do would make me forget you. And if she tried to hurt you... well I'd hurt her back twice as hard. I love you, Violet Quagmire."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Once we pulled away I started giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"I just... I tried asking Fiona what I should do about the situation and she suggested that we..." I whispered it in his ear.

He gaped at me for a moment before a smile overtook his handsome face, "I'd love to do that."

I quickly let go of him in shock, "Duncan, you pervert! I wasn't going to do it!"

"Oh..." He replied quietly, "Well why not?"

"Because it- because you could get fired that's why! And it's a newspaper; if we were caught it would be headlines!"

He smirked, "Ok well what if we didn't get caught?"

I perked up a bit, my mind immediately racing through the possibility, _"Oh, now I see what the appeal is..."_

"You'd really risk your job for that?"

"Yeah I would, I think it sounds like fun. But it's entirely up to you, love."

"I suppose it sounds... a little fun..."

We ended up trying it the very next day. And Madison? She was there at the office, and I'm pretty sure she saw us. Madison never spoke to Duncan again. And I had to thank Fiona for the advice afterwards.

When I went to pick up Duncan after work that day we couldn't stop smiling at each other. And Duncan, the dork that he is calmly asked:

"Can we try it in your office next time?" I declined, but I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.

And two months later I would find out I was pregnant.

 **~The End!**

 **Mature themes abound. I apologize to Dr. Madison Li from the Fallout games universe for stealing her name for such an unlikable character; I assure she's not a jerk if you've never played the Fallout games! See you in the next one!**


	24. Jail Break and Confessions

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Mr. Poe you have to believe us!"

"That man wasn't Count Olaf and we didn't kill him!"

"Majin!" (You can't just let them arrest us like this!)

Mr. Poe sighed heavily as he stood at the bars of the Baudelaires' prison cell, "I'm sorry children but... the evidence is against you. I just wanted to say good-bye before your sentence. Good-bye..." Without another word Mr. Poe left the police office with his wife on his arm.

Count Olaf, in his ridiculous detective disguise, stepped in front of the cage as soon as they were gone. It was just him and the Baudelaires now.

He smiled evilly, "Comfortable orphans?"

"You framed us," Klaus spat back at him furiously.

"I did nothing of the sort you stupid bookworm," Olaf replied calmly, "I simply put a murderous baby in prison along with her two accomplices. And now you'll all be burned at the stake... and you'll never even see your poor Quagmire twin friends again."

Violet and Klaus snapped. With one arm each they reached through the bars and grabbed Olaf by his jacket and pulled him against the bars to look them directly in the eyes.

 _"Where are they?"_ Sunny had never heard her siblings so enraged when they spoke those words. The situation must finally be getting to them.

At first, Olaf seemed to have a faint glimpse of fear in his shiny eyes at the question. He had seen the Baudelaires mad before of course, but there was a spark of pure rage in their eyes. One he had never witnessed until this moment, and it gave him a realization. He smirked at the two elder Baudelaires.

The villain chuckled, "Oh... I get it now. Not _just friends_ are you? Hm? Perhaps something _more_? I hear bookworms have a thing for pretty poets... And I'm sure an inventor would be eager to build a printing press for a handsome young journalist..."

Violet and Klaus glared at the wicked man, trying to ignore the embarrassing insinuations he was making. And for once they had to unfortunately admit that Olaf was at least partially right in his accusations. Violet Baudelaire was particularly fond of her charming journalist friend Duncan Quagmire. She did indeed feel that she wanted their relationship to be more than mere friendship, and based on that interesting D.Q+V.B carving in the red herring statue she now knew that her feelings were returned. Klaus had trouble admitting so, but he was very fond of his lovely poet friend Isadora. He was too shy and doubtful to admit it to her. Although Violet and Sunny could see his feelings clear as day; he wasn't as subtle as he wanted to be.

"We will get out of here," Violet replied vehemently, she and Klaus let go of Olaf.

Olaf gave them their "last meal" which was a cup of water and some stale bread and left the police station. Violet took out her ribbon and began tying her hair back. She was about to ask Klaus if he could help think of a way out of here but they were interrupted by someone else entering the station.

"Hello Baudelaires," Hector said.

"Hector, what are you doing here?"

He went up to their cell and gave them two small scraps of paper, "I found more notes from your friends by the Nevermore Tree. They can't get you out of jail, but I figured they might cheer you up."

Klaus smiled faintly at the papers and replied, "Thank you Hector."

"I'm sorry there's not more I could do," Hector said, "I wasn't a good guardian, was I?"

"You were fine," Violet answered, "Better than some others we've had. You should go, the villagers will probably get mad at you for talking to us in here."

He nodded, "Yeah I'm going to leave the village on my hot air mobile home; thank you for helping me get it to work. I only wish I could take you and your friends with me."

"If we do get out of here, we'll find another way out of town."

Hector said good-bye and left the Baudelaires alone in their prison once more. Violet started to ask Klaus what he could do to help their situation, but noticed that there was something off about him.

"Klaus do you think there's anything in your research about jail-breaks?"

Klaus racked his brain for a moment, "Well I just remembered something but... um."

"Is it something that can help us?"

"Er, no... it's- it's just I..." He sat down on the bench that was the only piece of furniture in their cell, "I just remembered that it's my birthday. I'm 13 today."

A few tears escaped his eyes; he took off his glasses momentarily to wipe them away. Violet and Sunny glanced at each other and felt guilt overtake their hearts.

Violet sat down next to Klaus and Sunny climbed onto his other side, "I'm so sorry Klaus... We completely forgot..."

"Klaus," Sunny bit his hand gently as an affectionate gesture, and Violet put her arm around him.

The three Baudelaires hugged each other as Klaus cried softly and talked about what their parents had planned to do for his birthday this year; after how disappointing his last one had been. As he let out his emotions, Violet racked her brain for something to give him for a good present. Something that would make her brother happier than she had seen him in a while... She smiled as an idea dropped into her head.

She stood up, "Klaus, Sunny and I are prepared to offer you anything you want for your birthday. Right, Sunny?"

Sunny stood up, "Yeah!"

Klaus finished drying his eyes and smiled faintly at his sisters, "Thank you, both of you, but what I really want is to know where the Quagmires are and how we can help them..." He pulled the other couplet papers out of his pocket and stared at them sadly.

Violet then picked up Sunny and slipped over to the back corner of the cage to talk in moderate secrecy.

"I have an idea," Violet whispered, "It'll be the perfect present. Let's get out of here, and reunite Klaus with Isadora."

"Isa," Sunny spoke quietly; she seemed to say, "I know you're worried about them, but why Isadora?"

Violet rolled her eyes, "Because Klaus likes her of course. What better present to give him than to bring him and his girlfriend back together?"

"Bleck," Sunny said, meaning, "Teenagers are gross."

"Hey, Isadora would make a great sister-in-law someday, don't you agree?"

"Duncan?" Sunny obviously meant to ask about Violet's fondness for Duncan in reference to Isadora as a potential sister-in-law.

Violet blushed lightly, "This isn't about me and Duncan; I'll worry about that later. It's Klaus' birthday and we're going to do this for him. It'll be the best present ever. What do you say?"

Sunny grinned toothily, "Ok!"

Violet set Sunny down and finished tying her hair back. She took the stale bread and the bench and began making a battering ram with the noose that was hanging in the cell. She instructed Klaus to try to figure out what the couplets mean as she worked. Klaus took the papers and stuck them to the wall in order of arrival with some water from their cup. Once Violet finished her invention she started to ram the side wall of the cell. She could see that Klaus was still a bit depressed too, so she was surprised when he turned to her with a smile.

"Klaus, you're smiling? We're in jail and you're smiling?"

She saw a bit of pink cross his cheeks, "I know where Duncan and Isadora are!"

She set aside her invention and looked over the couplets with him.

"It's Isadora's handwriting," Klaus said, "Look at how it's worded." He read it aloud:

 _For sapphires we are held in here._

 _Only you can end our fear._

 _Until dawn comes we cannot speak._

 _No words can come from this sad beak._

 _The first thing you read contains a clue:_

 _An initial way to speak to you._

 _Inside these letters the eye will see_

 _Nearby are your friends, and V.F.D._

Klaus pointed out that the couplets spelled out the word _Fountain_.

"Fowl Fountain," Violet said, "We know where they're being held! That's brilliant, you're brilliant."

Klaus smiled shyly, "Isadora is brilliant... I just figured out her riddle."

Violet began using the battering ram again and said with a tiny smirk, "Then you're going to love the birthday present Sunny and I have for you."

Sunny giggled quietly, and Klaus looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"We're going to get you and Isadora back together for good."

Klaus suddenly looked very embarrassed. He shakily asked, "What?!"

"Isn't that what you wanted for your birthday?"

"Well, that's um not what I..."

"Fez," Sunny shrieked, meaning, "You're whipped. Just admit it already; you could see it from space."

"Sunny's right," Violet replied laughing lightly, "Ever since you and Izzie laid eyes on each other you've been practically drooling over her. My little brother has a crush on my best friend; how adorable! And we're going to get you two back together. You can tell Isadora how much you love her and your little glasses will get all foggy."

Klaus didn't have a coherent response to these accusations; he was too embarrassed.

"I'm not trying to be mean you know," Violet said as she continued using her invention, "I think you and Izzie would be really cute together."

"Yes!" Sunny obviously agreed with Violet's statement.

Klaus averted his eyes to the floor and softly asked, "Um... do you think Duncan will mind?"

"I'll handle Duncan for you if something happens. If anything he should trust you just fine; he's your best friend after all."

Klaus' next question was obvious, "What if she doesn't like me that way...?"

Violet smirked, "I have a feeling she does. And by the way Klaus, happy birthday."

In her head, she thought back to all the times that she'd catch Isadora staring at Klaus with a look of longing. The time Isadora told her about when Klaus accidentally called her his favorite poet and how it made her all warm and happy inside to be given such praise by someone like him. Violet knew for sure that Isadora Quagmire was just as enamored with Klaus and he was with her. And Violet couldn't help being immensely happy for both of them.

 _"Isadora will be a great sister-in-law. Now how should I approach my feelings for Duncan?"_

"Hey Isadora?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we were in the elevator shaft a few days ago, and the Baudelaires' balloon burned out?"

"Yes Duncan it was dreadful! I thought they would fall to their deaths right in front of us!"

"I did too that's why I didn't say this at the time but when Klaus started screaming I thought, 'Wow Izzie your boyfriend screams like a girl.'"

Isadora gaped at her triplet brother, "Klaus does not scream like a girl!"

Duncan smirked, "You never said he wasn't your boyfriend."

Isadora blushed darkly, "Well... he isn't!"

"Uh huh, sure he isn't..."

"Wipe that cocky smirk off your face before I do it for you!"

"How can you tell if I'm smirking? We can barely see in here."

"Because I can hear it in your smart ass voice!"

Duncan pretended to look hurt, "You'd call your own brother a smart ass? I'm offended."

Isadora rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, do you remember how many times I'd call Quigley a smart ass? You're not special. And again, Klaus is _not_ my boyfriend!"

"Ok but I can so tell you want him to be."

"Duncan, do you want to aggravate me like this while we're in a spot where you can't get away from my rage?"

Duncan faltered for a moment, "Alright you win; he's not your boyfriend. But I'm sure he will be eventually."

Inside his head Duncan was thinking about what it would be like if Violet was his girlfriend. The two triplets' thoughts of the Baudelaires were then interrupted by the sound of the fountain opening at last.

 **~The End!**

 **Obviously this happened right before the start of my How It Should Have Been book. I'll add the picture that inspired this story too for fun!**


	25. Klaus Hates Parties

**Living parents Alternate Universe. Violet is 18, Klaus is 16. Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

Klaus Baudelaire _hates_ parties.

He was sitting at a table in his family mansion's lavish ballroom as he quietly watched his parents conversing with their guests. Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire were hosting a huge gathering of their wealthy, high-society, friends and associates tonight. Unfortunately, whenever the Baudelaire parents would have one of these parties, their children were forced to attend. Klaus was the middle child, and only boy, of the three Baudelaire heirs. His younger sister Sunny was only 4; meaning she got out of attending because of her strict bedtime.

 _"Lucky,"_ He thought grumpily, _"I wish I was in bed right now. Preferably with my book; I was almost finished with it..."_

He glanced briefly at his older sister Violet who was standing a little ways from him. She was talking to a boy just her age; they appeared to be flirting, but Klaus couldn't hear their conversation. He didn't want to. Listening to his sister flirt with a cute boy was something that would just make him sick to his stomach. He inwardly sighed as he noticed his mother approach him; she was accompanied by a guest. Klaus politely stood up to greet them.

"Klaus, I wanted to introduce you to my best friend from when I was your age," Beatrice said, "This is Mrs. Karen Quagmire."

Klaus politely shook Karen's hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Karen smiled, "Bea, you were right, you and Bertrand did raise a gentleman."

Beatrice smirked, "Speaking of a gentleman, is that your son talking to my daughter over there?"

Karen chuckled, "Yes that's Duncan; he's the oldest of my triplets."

"He's certainly a charmer."

"Just like his father."

Klaus wanted to gag. Secretly, he was a romantic, but these conversations were something he would never get used to. He didn't notice Karen had left him and his mother alone after a few moments.

"Klaus, you could at least try to have a good time. I know you don't want to be here, but your father and I appreciate it. Violet is having a good time over there."

Klaus scoffed quietly and muttered, "Yeah but that's got nothing to do with the party..."

"Don't get sassy with me, son, or I will call your father over here," Beatrice warned with a strict glare. He momentarily forgot she had amazing hearing.

"I'm sorry mother," He replied guiltily, "I was almost finished with my book earlier, and I'm just a little frustrated that's all."

Beatrice patted his back, "Honey you can get back to it after the party, ok? I promise! In the meantime, try following your sister's example and find yourself a new friend to talk to," She smirked before adding, "Or perhaps a nice young lady."

Klaus blushed and sheepishly pushed his glasses up his nose in an attempt to cover it. He agreed to his mother's wishes to appease her. She nodded in satisfaction and went to join Bertrand across the room. He sighed in defeat. This was not going to end well.

Klaus was a very well-read person. He enjoyed reading more than anything. One would even guess that he had probably read more books in his 16 years on this earth than most people have in their entire lifetime. He'd read any book, even if it ended up being one he didn't enjoy. But for all of Klaus' intelligence there was one thing he'd never figure out with his reading skills: _girls_. He just couldn't talk to them, and it wasn't for lack of trying. His mother knew this. Of her two oldest children, Beatrice knew that Violet was the more outgoing of them, while Klaus was shy and liked to keep to himself. Beatrice knew her son's comfort zone, but she wanted him to at least put in the effort.

Klaus was so wrapped up in his concerns on how to approach the situation that he didn't notice Violet and her new friend Duncan had come over to join him.

"Klaus, this is Duncan Quagmire. This is my younger brother Klaus."

Klaus politely shook Duncan's hand, "Nice to meet you, I noticed you two talking earlier."

Violet's cheeks turned pink, "Well, his mother Karen introduced us. Duncan where's your sister? I saw her with Quigley and his girlfriend a while ago, but I haven't seen her since."

"No idea," Duncan chuckled, "We can't ask Quigley either cause he's a little distracted."

He pointed across the room where his identical triplet brother, apparently named Quigley, was dancing with a raven haired girl with triangle-shaped glasses. Most of the guests were watching the two with excitement as they tangoed across the dance floor.

"Your brother likes to show off doesn't he," Violet commented.

"I'm more surprised he got Fiona onto the dance floor to begin with," Duncan replied, "She's usually pretty shy."

Violet smiled flirtatiously at him, "Do you want to join them?"

Duncan replied with a charming smirk, "I thought you'd never ask."

He offered his arm to her and the two walked off to dance together, leaving Klaus alone once more. He was happy for his sister really. Duncan was a nice guy, at least as far as he could tell; he just hated to watch Violet flirt. It was so weird.

Klaus carefully watched the area for any sign of his parents before noting that it was clear as he quickly stepped away from where he had been sitting. He walked around the area where all the other guests were and went through a set of doors that led out onto the balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief when he shut the door behind him and felt the cool evening breeze hit his skin. It was so good to be out of there. He needed a minute alone to save whatever was left of his sanity.

He walked across the balcony and leaned against the marble railing. He glanced up at the starry night sky. He inwardly wished that this party had been held outside on the family mansion's lovely gardens, it would have meant that he could have slipped back to his room undetected.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone else was out here."

Klaus jumped and quickly turned around to see someone had joined him on the balcony. It was a girl, and he could tell from her overall facial features that this had been the Quagmire triplet sister that Violet had been referring to earlier. Her black hair went down over her shoulders gracefully, which partly fell over her eyes, and it complimented her pale skin. She smiled at him and he suddenly felt his insides turn to mush. She was pretty; _very pretty._

"I'm sorry did you want to be alone? I could go back inside; I just wanted some fresh air for a second."

He swallowed nervously and stammered out a reply, "Um, if you want to be out here that's fine I don't mind. I mean it is my house so..."

She giggled, "Oh, so you're the Baudelaires' son? Your mother told me about you."

His eyes widened, "She... did?"

She walked up to his side, "It wasn't anything embarrassing if that's what you're wondering."

She held out her hand, "I'm Isadora Quagmire."

He timidly shook her hand, "I'm Klaus Baudelaire."

Her expression grew concerned, "Are you ok? Your face looks kind of red and your hands are shaking."

"I'm fine! Really I'm ok..." He ran a hand through his messy hair nervously and felt his face grow even hotter. He was sure she was about to laugh at him for being so awkward. Pretty girls don't usually smile at him, he was too much of a shy, book-loving dork, and he was certain that this lovely girl wouldn't be an exception.

"Ok, if you say so," Isadora replied; it was pretty obvious that she didn't believe him.

She leaned against the railing and looked up at the sky. Klaus attempted to regain his composure. Was he seriously crushing on a girl he just met?

 _"Get a hold of yourself you idiot! You've already embarrassed yourself enough."_

"Parties in ballrooms aren't the most comfortable sight, but at least it is a lovely night."

He glanced at her in surprise and blurted out, "That's a couplet! Ogden Nash uses them!"

 _"Whoa, where did that come from? Klaus, you moron, it might have been unintentional."_

Isadora, however, perked up at his statement, "I know I've read all his work!"

"You like poetry?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "I'm a poet myself actually, I only write couplets though."

Klaus smiled shyly at her, "I um... I really like poetry too..."

She grinned, "Who's your favorite?"

"I don't really have a favorite I like reading almost every kind of poetry."

"Then who's your least favorite?"

Klaus groaned, "Edgar Guest."

"I hate him too! His work is so tedious!"

"And his topics are overly sentimental!"

The two smiled at each other and continued talking about different kinds of poetry. Klaus couldn't believe this was happening. He was having a real conversation with a girl. A very pretty, nice girl... His insides were shaking. How could he talk to her like this when he also felt so nervous? Her smile was gorgeous and her lovely wide, brown eyes were twinkling in the moonlight as she gushed about her interests to him.

Isadora glanced at the party through the balcony doors, "I want to get home soon. I have a book waiting under my pillow that I need to get back to, or I'm going to lose my mind."

"You want to finish a book too?"

Isadora blushed sheepishly, "Oh, don't take offense to that please! I don't mean that I don't enjoy talking to you I just-"

"You're almost finished with it and you want to get back to it so you can see what happens next," Klaus smirked.

Isadora smiled, "How did you guess?"

"I have the same problem with my book... only mine is a mystery novel and I was about to find out the reveal. The suspense has kind of been killing me slowly throughout the night. But mother and father insisted that Violet and I come to the party to be good hosts."

Isadora giggled, "Well my novel is a little less urgent and probably one that you wouldn't enjoy anyway."

He raised a brow at her, "Try me."

"It's this romance novel about a traveling girl named Serana and her horse Blackjack. She falls in love with a man named Darien and they have to go on the run together-"

"Because King Fredrick wants to execute Darien because he thinks he killed his son, James!"

Isadora's eyes widened, "You've read it?"

Klaus blushed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "Um... promise you won't tell anyone that I read romance novels?"

"Your secret is safe with me! I just finished chapter 24," She suddenly looked worried, "Please tell me they don't kill off Blackjack! She injured her leg two chapters ago and it still hasn't healed yet!"

Klaus chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, but since you asked, yes Blackjack survives."

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "Ok good! She's my favorite character! I know she can't talk, but her sassy interactions with Darien are hilarious. Especially when he tried to ride her and she bucked him into the river!"

"Because the only person who can ride that horse is Serana," Klaus replied chuckling.

"Exactly, Darien is such a dork and Serana is cool as a cucumber like all the time; now don't tell me anymore please because I want to see what happens next!"

"I won't I promise," Klaus paused for a moment, "So... you like romance novels?"

Isadora blushed, "I'm kind of a hopeless romantic. Just the simple idea of meeting some handsome guy on a moonlit night, looking out at the pretty stars, maybe standing on a balcony; you find out you have things in common and just click with each other on a level that you can't understand yet..." She smiled shyly, "It just sounds wonderful to me..."

Her already wide eyes went even wider with realization at what she had said. And the words had not gone over Klaus' head either. The two quickly averted their eyes away from each other. Klaus suddenly felt himself grow uncomfortably warm again. He briefly glanced at Isadora and could see that she was embarrassed. She was looking at the railing as she rested her hands on it and fidgeting with her fingers. After a moment, she glanced at him then went back to looking at the stars. She stopped fidgeting and rested her hands on the cool marble.

Klaus cleared his throat, "If I'm making you uncomfortable at all-"

"Oh no, of course you're not! I don't mind being out here with you..."

He took a deep breath, "Well that's good because I don't mind being out here with you either."

He remembered how the scene had gone as the two of them quoted the book they had been talking about minutes ago. He carefully reached out and interlocked his hand with Isadora's. The two blushed and smiled at each other. Klaus suddenly felt a spark of courage within him as he stared at the beautiful girl beside him. But before he could do what he had planned, Isadora apparently remembered how the scene in their book had actually gone: she kissed him first.

Klaus wrapped his arms around her waist as her arms went around his neck. It was a soft, gentle, first kiss. And Klaus felt like he was on cloud nine. Isadora liked him! He couldn't believe that this beautiful girl he had just met was interested in him too! It was like a dream. It was too good to be real.

"Ahem."

Definitely too good to last. Klaus and Isadora quickly jumped apart at the sound that interrupted them. They turned to see Violet and Duncan standing in the doorway smirking. Duncan looked a little pissed off, but that's probably because Karen mentioned he was the oldest triplet; he was probably protective.

"So, Klaus, I see you've met Isadora," Violet was choking back laughter.

Klaus had never felt so embarrassed. And he could see Isadora wasn't holding up much better.

"Izzie, mom says we have to go home now," Duncan said, "Come out to the car when you're ready."

"Oh, ok Duncan I'll be right with you..."

Duncan nodded and left with Violet to say good-bye to her. Klaus gave Isadora an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry for embarrassing you like that I didn't mean to."

"It's ok Klaus," She was blushing, "I enjoyed it..." She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a pitch black notebook and pen. She wrote something down on a page and tore it out and handed it to him.

"That's my phone number. I'd love to talk about more books with you sometime. Maybe when we're able to really be alone together?" She winked at him and left to go home with her family.

Klaus stared at the small scrap of paper in shock. His shock didn't go away when he went to bed that night either. He was so distracted that he completely forgot about his book that he had been so eager to get back to. He didn't even bat an eye when Violet teased him about the balcony incident the next day. He didn't listen when his mother gushed about her son getting a girlfriend. (even though it had just been one kiss; Bertrand was way more interested in Violet having planned a date with Duncan for next week) But he did know one thing for sure.

Klaus Baudelaire was _absolutely_ looking forward to the next party his parents would have.

 **~The End!**

 **The book that Klaus and Isadora were talking about isn't real; just a made up one I put in for story purposes!**


	26. I'm Getting Married Today

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Violet's POV**

I'm getting married today.

I almost can't believe that I'm doing this. I'm 20 years old and I'm getting married.

So why do I feel sick to my stomach? The answer is easy if you know my history. Marriage has been a touchy subject for me personally for a while now. I'm sure I was over it, after all I did say yes to my boyfriend's proposal, but something inside me was unsettled.

When I was 14, I had a very unfortunate event with marriage. A very evil man named Count Olaf tried to marry me to get the rights to my inheritance. It wasn't legally binding because I didn't sign the document in my own hand, but it was a terrifying experience. The thought of being that bastard's wife... it haunted me to my core. No. Stop. He's dead. He's been dead for years and you're over it now. He can't hurt you or anyone you care about ever again.

I smoothed out my lovely white dress and stared at my reflection in the full body mirror by the wall. I looked perfect. Isadora and Fiona had been fussing over my appearance for hours. I swear my hair was redone at least seven times just to get it perfect. My dress was long and I had to pick it up to walk but it was still the most perfect wedding dress I could ever ask for. I picked it out myself of course! I reached over and grabbed my bouquet of flowers. Duncan had jokingly suggested that I use violets for my bouquet, but I chose roses instead. It wasn't much better because my middle name is Roselyn. I chuckled quietly at that. My mother really loved flowers apparently.

Mother and father…

They would be so proud to see me right now. I'm not a particularly religious person, but wherever you go when you die I hope they're watching over me from there right now. Father would have been crying to see his little girl get married today. Mother would have fussed over every little detail to ensure that everything was perfect. Mother was always a perfectionist, and father was the emotional one. And I'm sure that Quinten and Karen were watching this day with them right now too. After all I am marrying their son Duncan.

The nervous feeling in my stomach went away. _Duncan Quagmire_. My charming, handsome, journalist was the one I was marrying today. I never thought I'd meet the love of my life at such a horrible place like Prufrock Preparatory School, but I did. And we're getting married today.

There was a knock on the door and I saw Klaus and Sunny join me in the room. Isadora was my maid of honor and Fiona was a bridesmaid, and the ceremony was of course being performed by our friend Justice Strauss. Judy was so happy when I introduced Duncan as my fiancé. She was thrilled to see I had found the perfect man for me. The others were all outside waiting already. Klaus was the best man, and he's giving me away, and Quigley was a groomsman. Sunny was our flower girl, she also made our entire wedding feast, and she looked utterly adorable in her little white dress. I smiled at my two younger siblings.

"How do I look?"

Klaus was blinking back a few tears behind his glasses, "You look amazing, Violet."

"Duncan's going to faint," Sunny said with a big toothy grin.

"Is everyone ready?"

Klaus nodded and offered me his arm, "Are you ready?"

I linked arms with him and replied, "Yes I am."

"Then let's go, you two! Your man is waiting for you," Sunny was practically jumping up and down with excitement. According to her, she had been waiting for this day since the moment Duncan and I laid eyes on each other. She called us her OTP... whatever that means.

"Are you sure you're ok," Klaus started, "I mean-"

"Klaus, I'm perfectly fine. Everything is going to be ok. Now let's go I want to get married!"

And it's ok; because I'm marrying Duncan Quagmire.

 **~Isadora's POV**

I'm getting married today!

I've dreamt of this day for ages. This is going to be so wonderfully perfect. Violet was my maid of honor of course and Duncan was the best man. Sunny prepared our wedding feast and Kit's daughter, Beatrice Jr., was going to be my flower girl. I had asked permission since Sunny was the flower girl for Violet and Duncan's wedding last year. And Kit and Dewey were happy to let their daughter be a part of the ceremony. Beatrice Jr. is Sunny's best friend after all, and she was happy to let her take over this time.

I thought about my mother and father. They would have been so happy to see this day. According to Jacqueline, my mother, Karen, and Klaus' mother, Beatrice Sr., were very excited about the idea of their children marrying someday. They got their wish last year when Violet and Duncan got married and now it was me and Klaus' turn. I smiled at my appearance in my mirror. I could only hope that I looked beautiful enough for Klaus.

Klaus Baudelaire. My handsome, book-loving, dork was the man I was going to marry. I never thought I'd meet the love of my life at a dreadful place like Prufrock but it had happened. I even knew that our wedding vows were written in couplet form. (His idea actually, not mine) I'm sure he was a nervous wreck right now, and I couldn't help a little bundle of nerves in the pit of my stomach too. Pre-wedding nerves is what Fiona called them; she assured me they were perfectly normal. I heard the door to my dressing room open and heard my brothers talking and laughing.

"Hey Izzie," Quigley spoke up, "We're here and everyone else is ready."

I smiled at my reflection one last time before grabbing my bouquet and walking out from behind my privacy screen to greet them. My two triplet brothers' jaws fell open at the sight of me.

"Well, how do I look," I asked with a big grin as I twirled around wanting their opinion.

Duncan and Quigley both started crying.

"You look wonderful Izzie," Duncan tried to dry his eyes.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," Quigley said shakily.

I wrapped my arms around both of them and helped them calm down. Once they finished letting their tears out they linked arms with me. They were both giving me away.

"Are you ready," Duncan asked.

"I've been ready for ages, let's go."

I'm marrying Klaus Baudelaire today, and nothing will take me away from him ever again.

 **~Fiona's POV**

I'm getting married today!

Quigley Quagmire was going to be a wonderful husband. Isadora had told me that he used to date around a lot before meeting me. He definitely changed his ladies' man ways when he fell for me though. And now he was a very faithful significant other, and today I was going to marry him.

It was an incredibly difficult choice for my maid of honor. Violet and Isadora were both such great best friends, and I wish I could have picked them both, but ultimately I chose Violet. Isadora didn't mind either way; she was just happy for us. Quigley's brother Duncan was the best man, and my stepfather was giving me away. I couldn't believe that I was going to officially join such a wonderful family today. Sure I have a family with my stepfather and my brother, but becoming a part of my best friends' family meant the world to me.

I wish my mother could be here. She'd be so happy to see me get married. Well, I know she's watching over me from the great beyond, just like Quigley's parents were. I'm glad my brother could be here. Fernald risked his life to protect me at the Hotel Denouement meeting, and he had finally gotten out of jail for his own past crimes. He wasn't giving me away but I knew he was going to cry when he saw the ceremony. He was a big softie at heart. As I admired my appearance in the mirror and adjusted my glasses, I heard a knock on the door.

My stepfather entered grinning proudly at me; he was dressed to the nines in his suit and had even trimmed his mustache for the occasion, "Aye, there's my darling girl!"

I grinned, "How do I look?"

"As beautiful as your mother," He replied, "I got something for you."

He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small box and handed it to me. I eagerly opened it and gasped.

"I couldn't possibly take this!" It was a beautiful ruby necklace with a silver chain.

He pulled it out of the box and started to put it on me, "Aye I know it was your mother's, but she would have wanted you to wear it Fiona. You'll forgive this old sea dog's superstition, but I feel like it brings her spirit here to see you wearing it. Keep it, I got no use for it."

I gently touched the ruby and smiled at him, "Thank you stepfather."

He hugged me, "You're welcome Fiona, and I'm so proud of you for following your dream to the end. You found yourself a good man, great friends, a good job, and a life all your own. And maybe you and Quigley will give me some grandkids!"

I laughed, "We'll see what happens. I think just one will be fine though."

He offered me his arm, "Everyone else is ready, are you?"

I grabbed his arm, "Let's not hesitate."

"Aye aye!"

I'm marrying Quigley Quagmire today, and joining my best friends' family at last.

 **~The End!**

 **It's short but I think this one turned out well! Just the thoughts of each of the girls as they're about to marry the ones they fell for! See you!**


	27. A Special Day But Not a Good One!

**It's a special day...but not a good one! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Why did we call this family meeting today," Isadora asked, "We're mostly all here, but we don't know why."

"I suppose we'll find out eventually," Quigley replied.

Five out of the six adults were standing in Duncan's office in his house, where they usually met for their family meetings. The only person who wasn't present was Violet, who said she would be here momentarily with whatever the subject of their meeting was. Duncan had called her twice now and she had simply said she would be here soon. The suspense was kind of putting them all on edge. Duncan and Quigley were pacing, and Klaus, Isadora, and Fiona were all distracting themselves with books.

After some more time passed, Violet entered the room with a smile. However, she wasn't alone. With her was now 19 year old Trevor, Sunny's boyfriend.

Klaus raised a brow at his sister, "Uh, not to be rude Violet, but didn't you say this was a family meeting?"

Violet smiled, "Trevor is actually the subject of this meeting. Which means we can finally get it started; whenever you're ready, go ahead and start."

Everyone's eyes were now on the young man before them. He looked nervous and very uncomfortable at the attention he was receiving. He also looked anxious, as if whatever he was about to say was incredibly important. He glanced between each of the six adult family members. His hands were shaking slightly. After a while of tense silence, Trevor took a deep breath and presented to them something from his pocket.

"Violet, Klaus, I'm here to ask your permission to marry Sunny."

In his hand was a small ring box with a lovely diamond engagement ring inside. Trevor had recently gained his inheritance from his parents' deaths, from when he was young, and had surely spent a considerable amount on this gift just from looking at it. Everyone in the room stared in shock, after a few moments the rest of the family turned their attention to Violet and Klaus.

Sunny's two older siblings were wide eyed in disbelief. Trevor looked faint waiting for someone to say something.

"You're... you're going to propose to our sister," Violet said quizzically.

"Yes, I am... We've been together for years now and I really love her. I want to be with her, if she'll have me. I love Sunny Baudelaire and I promise I'll make her a happy woman. So what do you say?"

Violet and Klaus looked at each other. They didn't say anything out loud, but it seemed to everyone else that they were communicating inside their heads. After another round of silence, Violet and Klaus finally spoke the words that everyone knew they would say when this day came.

"YES!"

Trevor felt an enormous weight lift off his shoulders as the two hugged him, "You really mean it?"

"Of course we mean it! Our sister is getting married," Violet replied excitedly.

"I was starting to wonder when you'd ask," Klaus said wiping his eyes behind his glasses.

"Oh my god we're going to have a wedding," Isadora was practically jumping with excitement.

"Sunny is going to look so gorgeous," Fiona said, "When are you going to ask her?"

Trevor smiled sheepishly, "Today, soon, please don't say a word ok? I'm trying to make it a surprise. I've already told Hunter that I'm doing it, but he's keeping it a secret for me. Bea doesn't know yet either."

"Well don't keep the girl waiting then," Duncan said, "I can't believe this is happening."

"I know right," Quigley said, "The kids are going to flip when they learn their aunt is getting married!"

"I haven't asked her yet!"

"But you will, and I'm sure she'll say yes," Violet said.

Trevor put the ring back on his pocket, "Thank you! Thank you all so much for the support! I should go so I can get ready! I'll see you again soon if she says yes!"

He had it all planned out. He was going to take her out to a picnic on the beach; he'd even cook all the food himself. They'd watch the sunset together and then he'd ask. He could only hope that she'd say yes. Currently, Trevor was in his apartment that he shared with his best friend Hunter. He would be picking up Sunny in a few hours for their special date.

"So you ready," Hunter was standing nearby as he finished getting ready for his date with Beatrice.

"No, but I have to be brave," Trevor replied shakily, "I'm about to ask my girlfriend to marry me!"

"I know you are. And I'm happy for you, buddy, but you've got to take the chance. Now if you'll excuse me I have a date with Bea," Hunter smiled before grabbing his jacket and leaving the apartment.

Trevor sat down on the couch and sighed heavily. He was so nervous. He had bought the ring damn near a month ago. It had taken every last ounce of his courage just to ask for permission to do it! And the ring in his pocket was all he had been thinking about since he picked it up from the jewelry store. Maybe he just shouldn't…

 _"No! I... I want to! I want to do it so badly. But I don't know if I have the courage."_

His phone started buzzing. He pulled it out to see that it was Sunny. He quickly answered it.

"Hey Sunshine."

"Hi Trev, listen we're going to need to change our date plans tonight. I know you wanted to go to the beach to watch the sunset, but it just started raining and the weather forecast said that it's going to be raining all night."

He quickly got up and looked out the window to see that she was right. It had been a bit cloudy today but he had been so sure that it wouldn't rain.

 _"Just my luck."_

"Uh, ok..." He racked his brain for a plan B, "How about I pick you up and we'll just have dinner here at my apartment?"

"Ok we can do that! I'll see you soon, bye honey!"

He hung up the phone and sighed, "Great... Well I should go pick her up I guess."

 **~Sunny's POV**

I waited patiently for Trevor to come pick me up. He sounded really disappointed about the weather changing so suddenly. I wonder why. He's been acting so strange lately. I hope there's nothing wrong.

Trevor is a very good boyfriend. He treats me like a queen. And we're going to open that restaurant on Dark Avenue together soon with his inheritance so perhaps he's just nervous about that. I can't believe we're going to go into a business together! It'll be so fun to work alongside the man I love. But tonight was just supposed to be a date night for us. I hope it can still go well after the weather shifted. I was standing outside my apartment complex under the awning to keep myself dry as I waited for him. Trevor had told me to wear something nice for the occasion; I'm not sure what the occasion was but I complied anyway. I found a pretty dark blue dress to wear; it's simple but cute.

I saw his car pull up next to me and I eagerly got inside, "Hey Trev." I gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey Sunshine, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I'm sorry about the rain," I replied as he started driving, "You sounded really upset."

Trevor smiled sheepishly, "It's fine... hey do you want to get a milkshake or something on the way?"

"Sure I'd love to!"

He drove us to a small café and left me in the car while he got us milkshakes. Once he came back, he handed me a strawberry milkshake. I quickly started drinking it... but something was wrong.

"Trev, what flavor is this?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, this is peppermint," I felt my tongue swell up to where I couldn't talk properly and I could feel the hives breaking out on my skin.

"Oh, shit! I thought it was just strawberry! I didn't know it had peppermint mixed in! I am so sorry Sunny," Trevor looked worried and scared, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

I knew I wouldn't be able to talk to him with my tongue all swollen, so I pulled out my phone and decided to communicate through texts.

 _I'll be fine! I need a baking soda bath for the hives and my tongue will go back to normal over time. You should really be more careful! You're lucky my allergies aren't fatal!_

"I know, I know..." He frowned, "I'm sorry... can you forgive me?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded before texting him to just take us back to the apartment. Poor guy looked so disheartened. If I wasn't busy worrying about these awful hives all over my body, I'd try to cheer him up. He looked nervous too. He knows I'll forgive him right? He just has to be more careful next time.

 **~Trevor's POV**

I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel as I drove. First it started raining and cancelled the plans I had for our picnic, then I gave her a milkshake that had peppermint in it. And she's allergic to peppermint! This... is not a good day.

When we arrived at my apartment she quickly stepped into the bathroom to take a baking soda bath for her hives. I knew this might take a while so I just decided to start cooking our dinner for us. At least I can give her that. Maybe I just shouldn't propose at all. Today has been going so damn poorly and I wanted everything to be perfect! Or maybe it still could be? I just got a great idea!

I pulled out my phone and proceeded to call Duncan. If I was still going to do this, I needed some pointers from guys who had been married already. And there were three that I knew for sure would have great advice for me. When he answered I talked quietly just in case Sunny finished her bath early.

"Trevor is everything going ok?"

"No it isn't; I'll explain later, but right now I need advice. How did you propose to Violet? And tell me fast!"

I heard him start chuckling, "That's easy. I took her out to a beautiful flower garden at night and got permission from the people who owned it to decorate the place with fairy lights. I set up a little radio to play some songs for us. We talked for a while, and admired the flowers, and I even said a dumb line that made her laugh, 'the violets are beautiful tonight, and you're the most beautiful of all.' Stupid I know, but making her laugh calmed me down. Then I asked her the traditional way and she screamed 'yes'. Then we slow danced together. It was amazing."

Ok I can't do anything like that. I sighed and thanked him for the advice before hanging up. I quickly dialed Klaus. Maybe he had something more helpful. However, when I asked him the same question about how he proposed to his wife Isadora, his story was even less helpful.

"Well, it was in the backyard of our house at night. We had already started living together. We were lying on a blanket stargazing and talking before I finally worked up all my courage. It was a little less traditional because I used a couplet. I took her hand, got down on one knee and said, 'Isadora Quagmire you are the love of my life, will you do me the honor of being my wife?' She basically tackled me afterwards and I think her shouting her answer almost woke up the entire estate. That would have been embarrassing."

 _"Not nearly as embarrassing as how my day has been going,"_ I internally screamed. Ok poetry definitely wouldn't work. I thanked him and hung up. This was starting to become a lost cause. I hurriedly dialed Quigley to ask him the same question.

"Easy, I took Fiona out to a picnic in a secluded part of Finite Forest and even strung up fairy lights everywhere. I can't cook so I had to get everything as take out, but I made sure to get all her favorites. We talked for a while then I asked her the traditional way and she screamed her answer and started kissing me all over. It was a wonderful night!"

 _"I'm sure it was..."_ I hung up and sighed as I continued cooking dinner.

I'm god damn pathetic. I shouldn't have asked them because it only made me feel worse. The rest of Sunny's family members all had wonderful, perfect proposal stories; and I'm sure she was hoping for something like those. I felt the weight of the ring in my pocket. I just shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. If I'm going to ask Sunny to marry me I want it to be special. And so far this day has been anything but special. If I tried to propose now she'd probably reject me because her family members all had it done... _right_.

I saw her pass by the kitchen. Her hives looked mostly gone but I could tell her tongue was still swollen. I couldn't help thinking about how weird her peppermint allergy was to begin with. She smiled at me and sat down in the living room.

"Hey Sunshine," I called to her.

She nodded at me in response so I continued, "I'm sorry that this day hasn't been going as planned."

Sunny shrugged and texted me, _Oh honey, it's fine! You're making me dinner and we can still watch a movie or something. Any date is perfect, even if it goes a little wrong. Shit happens! What can you do?_

When she wasn't paying attention, I smiled at her words. Maybe this could work out after all.

 **~Later, Sunny's POV**

"How's your tongue?"

"Better now that the swelling went down," I replied as we watched our movie. It honestly wasn't that interesting. We were making fun of it most of the time.

I was lying in his arms on the couch. Trevor has been acting so strange today. Ever since he picked me up he's been jumpy and nervous. I wonder what's going on with him. He's not usually like this. We continued watching our stupid movie and laughing at its absurdity. Once it was over Trevor put the movie away and began pacing around the living room.

"Trev, are you ok? You've been kind of... out of it today." I got up and walked over to him.

He stared at me in silence for a minute and then took a deep breath.

"Listen I wanted today to be a perfect day and so far it's been the exact opposite. We couldn't go out for our dinner, I gave you an allergic reaction, I almost burnt our food because I was so distracted and now that you're all better and happy I guess it's time for me to say why I was so out of it today."

I looked at him in immense confusion before he did the most unexpected thing I could have ever seen: he got down on one knee and pulled out a little box with an engagement ring inside.

"Sunny, I love you more than anything in the world. Will you marry me?"

I felt a few tears sting my eyes. He was nervous about proposing to me!

"YES! Of course I'll marry you!" I tackled him to the floor and kissed him. I've never seen him so happy. He gently put the ring on my hand; almost like he thought it would break if he touched it.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do some more romantic proposal like I had planned-"

"Trevor... It's perfect I wouldn't have it any other way! Sure, my sister and my sisters-in-law all got some special perfect proposal stories but who cares? We're different! And I think this is as damn perfect as I could have ever wanted."

He kissed me again deeper this time before responding, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I love you, Sunshine."

"I love you too, Trevor."

 _"Uh, hi, um, our teacher told me that you didn't have a partner so I was wondering if you wanted to work together."_

 _"I'd love to, I'm Sunny Baudelaire."_

 _"I'm Trevor Macready... It's nice to meet you..."_

 _"It's nice to meet you too."_

I could not _wait_ to tell my family the good news!

 **~The End!**

 **I have nothing else to add here! Sunny and Trevor are engaged!**


	28. I'm In Love With Isadora

**This is a semi-sequel to "Because I love Duncan," as it's set in the same continuity. Begin!**

 **~Klaus' POV**

The Queequeg has a massive library for a submarine. I can't help admiring the wide variety of books that lined the shelves as I worked. I was studying the sea charts for Captain Widdershins. He told me to use them to find the sugar bowl since it was apparently tossed into the Stricken Stream when the headquarters was burned down. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. I haven't exactly gotten much sleep since our last night at the headquartersand having to work like this immediately after boarding this ship wasn't helping my condition. Violet was repairing the telegraph machine upstairs and Sunny was helping Phil in the kitchen. Despite my tired state, I continued my task as instructed until a voice interrupted me.

"Hello."

I jumped and looked up to see my new friend Fiona had entered the library.

"Oh, hey, you kind of scared me half to death," I replied chuckling nervously.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to," She held up a couple bottles, "I figured you might be thirsty so I brought you some soda."

I smiled faintly and took one, "Thank you, some caffeine might help me out right now actually."

She smiled and took a sip from her own drink before sitting down across from me at the table. I went back to my task, but I could feel her looking at me every now and then. I couldn't place a reason why she would do it though until she spoke again.

"Um, Klaus..." I glanced at her, "I'm sorry about that comment my stepfather made earlier... the one about us uh...flirting..."

I saw her cheeks go red. Oh, dear... this is going to be awkward.

I cleared my throat, "Oh, it's alright; I wasn't paying that much attention anyway."

"Well good I wouldn't want to make things weird after we basically just met..."

I nodded, "Yeah that would be bad."

There was a long silence after that. The only noises were the soft hum of the ship's engine and the occasional sound of one of us sipping our drinks. I could feel her gaze on me again after a while.

"If you don't mind me saying so," She started with a shy smile, "I do think you're kind of... well a little..."

She couldn't seem to string along a sentence and I knew exactly where this was going. This probably wouldn't end well, but I had to interrupt her.

"I'm in love with someone else."

Her smile faded instantly, "Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Fiona, but I... I'm in love with someone else and that's just the way it is."

I was telling the truth, of course. My thoughts drifted to a beautiful girl I knew at Prufrock who was currently traveling in a hot air mobile home with her brother. Isadora Quagmire... the most wonderful woman I've ever known. I'm in love with her. We never had anything official between us, but on our last night at Prufrock together she kissed me on the cheek, and I haven't been able to get that kiss out of my head since. I fell so hard for her, but now we've been separated because we wanted her and Duncan to be safe. I wish we had taken them with us. Isadora was the love of my life, and Duncan was my best friend in the whole world. At least there was hope that Quigley would find them and help us all get back together. He had promised us he would do so because Violet wanted to be with Duncan again. And right now, it felt wrong sitting with Fiona like this.

"What's her name?"

I looked up, "Huh?"

She smiled, "The girl you're in love with; what's her name?"

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, "Isadora Quagmire... I'm in love with Isadora..."

"Oh," She nodded in understanding, "Well I've never met her, but we use telegrams to communicate with the hot air mobile home so I might have talked to her at some point."

"Yeah how did you start talking to them? I mean we're on a submarine, how did you know about Hector's invention?"

"Oh, he never told you? Hector is the half-brother of Gregor and Isaac Anwhistle, and he's a volunteer. My stepfather said he's been retired for some time though. He came out of retirement recently and probably told the Quagmires about his past by now."

"Hector was a volunteer this whole time?"

"Yep, I'm surprised he never mentioned it. I've never met him in person so I'm sure he must have had a reason."

"Huh... Maybe he did... I do kind of wish he would have said something; but I guess it did just never come up when we lived in the village with him. I suppose we were right to send Duncan and Isadora with him on his invention."

Fiona nodded, "They are safe up there. At least they're away from Olaf."

"I couldn't agree more." I was so hurt to see Isadora leave but she was safe up there. That was what mattered.

There was another long pause before Fiona started chuckling, "So were you and Isadora dating at Prufrock or something?"

I blushed. "Uh, no we didn't have anything... official going on... I just never told her how I really felt."

"Didn't have the courage?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I'm sorry for saying anything then. The only times I get to meet people is when we surface for supplies. Stepfather doesn't really approve of me trying to meet boys anyway. He thinks it's too distracting from our volunteer work."

"I'm sorry for letting you down so harshly. I'm sure you'll find a great guy out there somewhere who's going to completely fall for you."

She smiled, "You really think so?"

"Yeah of course I do. You're nice, smart, if you don't mind me saying so I do think you're pretty; you'll find a special guy you just have to be patient."

"Thank you for your honesty, and you weren't being harsh in letting me down; you were just blunt. Still friends?"

I smiled, "Of course we can still be friends."

"Good," She grinned at me, "I'll let you get back to your work then."

She got up and walked out. Well that was about as awkward as I was expecting. But she took rejection really well. Hm... I wonder. I know that Violet loves Duncan, it's not exactly hard to tell it was written all over her face, and Quigley said he'd let Violet and Duncan be together when we all see each other again. I wonder if Quigley would be interested in Fiona…

 **~Some time later, Normal POV**

When given the opportunity to stay with her brother, Fernald, Fiona declined and went with the Baudelaires to the shores of Briny Beach in the Queequeg. Upon reaching the shore, the four of them found Kit Snicket waiting for them along with the Quagmire triplets.

Violet and Duncan embraced and even shared a quick kiss, not caring who was watching. Isadora practically tackled Klaus upon seeing him, and Klaus internally swore he would never let this wonderful woman go again. And the three triplets even gave little Sunny bone crushing hugs as well.

"Hello Fiona," Kit said with a smile, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Miss Snicket." The two explained that they knew each other because Kit used to work on the Queequeg back when Fiona was a little girl.

"The hot air mobile home was attacked by eagles," Kit explained, "Quigley was desperate to save his siblings before meeting you here Baudelaires. He insisted that I come to help him. We met at the other end of the Stricken Stream after the waterfall broke. He's lucky I was doing some work down there."

However, as Kit explained their story Quigley wasn't listening when the others turned their attention to him. He was busy off to the side introducing himself to Fiona.

Kit helpfully told Fiona she would see her father again after he finished answering the distress call that made him abandon ship down in the grotto. The older woman happened to know where the distress call had come from and knew that the captain was capable of handling it. She then took the seven of them to a safe house instead of Hotel Denouement. In her own words, "It was too dangerous for them to attend the meeting if Olaf knew it was happening and was on his way there now." And so while Kit went to the meeting with the other volunteers, the seven children stayed together in their safe house.

And Klaus had been correct in his assumptions, Quigley was particularly interested in Fiona, and she couldn't help being interested in him too.

 **~The End!**

 **I'll work on the next one shot that's in canon with my universe later, but for now this is only in the books' universe. I just needed to write this because I was thinking about the idea. Bye!**


	29. Embarrassing Moments

**It's mostly just meant to be funny, so don't take it too seriously please! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Isadora's POV**

I eagerly walked toward the orphan shack. It was almost time for breakfast and Duncan had sent me to pick up the Baudelaires since he was busy getting ready for the day. I hope I get a chance to talk to Klaus; preferably alone…

I wanted to deny it. I truly did. But he was so damn dreamy! He was a perfect gentleman, super nice, intelligent, caring, and he was so cute. I just can't help myself. My crush was so obvious I'm sure people could see it from space.

I reached the shack and proceeded to calm my nerves. I opened the door slowly, in case they might still be asleep. What I saw instead was a sight that made me quickly shut the door, before I was seen, and hurry away from the area. I ducked behind a wall and felt faint. I was sure my face was at least 20 different shades of red. I've never felt so embarrassed…

 _"I just walked in on Klaus Baudelaire changing and he had abs..."_

How?! I don't mean this as an insult, but he's a complete book nerd! How could he possibly have a body like _that?_ Oh, I guess abs are caused by a lack of fat in that area so that explains it. Thank God, he was already wearing pants... if I had walked in a minute sooner I'm sure I would have fainted! Oh, my god... I can't stop blushing. How am I going to get through the day now? He sits right next to me in class! How on earth am I supposed to concentrate?

And his sisters weren't there. The shack is pretty small I would have seen them if they were. Ok let's think for a moment... what do I do? Unfortunately, before I could come to an answer I was interrupted by a voice.

"Good morning Isadora."

I jumped a bit and saw Klaus had come this way and noticed where I was standing. My heart was beating out of my chest. He was smiling that adorable, stupidly shy smile that I loved so much, but it's not even remotely what I was thinking about. My face was probably still red and I think my hands were shaking. I smiled shyly at him, trying to mask my nerves going into overdrive panic mode.

"Um... good morning Klaus..."

"Were you coming by the shack to pick us up for breakfast?"

"Uh... yeah."

We started walking to the cafeteria, "Oh, well Violet left to do the same thing earlier. Carmelita stopped by to tell us that Vice Principal Nero wanted Sunny to be at work early today, so she left to drop her at the office. She said she'd pick you and Duncan up at the broom closet afterwards. Have you seen her?"

I was doing my absolute best not to look at him as we walked, "No I went to the shack because Duncan was taking a while to get ready. I didn't run into her."

"Alright," I could feel him looking at me as he asked, "Are you ok? Your face is a little red."

No I am not ok. I now know what is under your school uniform, and my stupid teen girl brain most likely will not let me get over it! Ok calm down, Isadora, there has to be some explanation he'll believe! I had to think fast. Suddenly, an idea dropped into my head.

"I uh... I had a bad nightmare last night," I replied in a tone that I could only hope sounded convincing.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He said softly, "I get nightmares sometimes too. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!" I noticed him flinch at my outburst. "I don't want to trouble you with my problems... and it's embarrassing anyway. Let's just get to breakfast I'm sure I'll feel better after I eat something."

"Ok... well if you ever want to talk I have read a few books on dreams, and I'm sure my research could help if you need it."

 _"Ok I know I'm lying, but awwww! He's so sweet! He cares about me! I don't deserve such a sweetheart as Klaus Baudelaire."_

We entered the cafeteria and proceeded to get our food. We sat down at our table with Duncan and Violet, who had already gotten here. I didn't dare speak for all of breakfast. Duncan was too preoccupied drooling over Violet to notice. And Violet was having her own conversation with Klaus. I didn't see that Violet had noticed my odd behavior. And I also didn't see that Violet was rather hesitant to talk to Duncan. Despite knowing that two were obviously enamored with each other, they usually were good at talking to one another.

I envy Violet sometimes. My best friend was better at talking to boys than I was, and she was far prettier than me. I don't resent her for it; I'm just insecure. Even boys at this school who were fiercely loyal to Carmelita's "orphans should be hated" mentality would sometimes stop for a second glance when Violet walked by. I even heard a rumor from the girls' dorms that Carmelita hated Violet the most because she was so much prettier than her. But a rumor is just a rumor. And Carmelita is the one who spread the rumor about Violet and Duncan dating. They weren't, but I knew they both wanted it to be true someday.

We finished our meals and went off to our separate classes. As I took my seat next to Klaus, and waited for Mrs. Bass to start her pathetic excuse for a lesson, I pulled my precious notebook out. I carefully made sure no one could see before I quickly wrote down a recount of the incident that happened earlier.

I will never show this page to anyone.

 **~Later that day**

I walked into the girls' bathroom after classes let out for the day. I don't know how I managed to keep up with the lesson today. I'm still so nervous. I've been nervous all day. I just need to get through dinner, make it through Vice Principal Nero's violin recital, and then I can attempt to sleep tonight. Ok I most likely won't be able to sleep tonight anyway, but I can try. Ugh... This day has been just not good at all.

"Hey Izzie."

I jumped and let out a mild squeak of terror as I heard Violet behind me.

"Violet! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I'm sorry," She walked up to me and gave me a concerned look, "If it helps I've been out of it today, too."

I forced myself to attempt a straight face, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm perfectly fine!"

She raised a brow at me, "No you're not. And I haven't been either to be honest."

"What's your problem?"

Violet looked around and made sure we were alone here before saying, "I'll tell you if you tell me yours."

"Oh, you're evil... I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because just trust me you don't want to know."

"I could say the same about my problem, but you're the only person I can tell. You're my best friend Izzie, we tell each other everything."

My face felt hot again, I was sure I was over the blushing hours ago but now it was surely going to come back if I spilled my secret. But I noticed Violet was blushing too. My curiosity was starting to get the better of me. I didn't want to tell Violet what had happened earlier, but I did want to know what had happened to her. Perhaps her story would make mine look better by comparison.

"Are you sure we're alone?"

"Yeah there's no one else in here."

"Ok... on the count of three we'll say our problems at the same time."

She nodded, "Ok... one."

"Two."

"Three."

 _"I walked in on your brother changing this morning!"_

We looked at each other in shock, "What?!"

"Isadora you didn't!"

"I didn't mean to! It just happened! Oh, Violet... I couldn't even look Klaus in the eye today. I was so embarrassed! I only saw him for like 2 seconds I swear! I shut the door and ran off before he noticed I was there. Now tell me what the hell happened when you saw Duncan?"

Violet was blushing, "I went to the broom closet and opened the door a little and noticed him changing into his uniform. He... I... Why didn't you tell me your brother had abs?"

"I could say the same to you! What happened after you saw him?"

"I shut the door and ran off. I panicked, ok? It's not like I knew what to do in this situation."

"I know how you feel. When Klaus found me I had to lie to him about having a nightmare to keep it a secret."

"Damn it," Violet cursed, "That's way better than my excuse. When I ran into Duncan in the cafeteria afterwards I told him it was just girl stuff and he got embarrassed and didn't say anything else."

I shook my head, "No you had a better excuse I didn't sound even remotely convincing."

"What do we do? I mean... if we confront them..."

"It would be the most embarrassing thing ever..."

Violet patted my shoulder, "Ok, Izzie I promise you I will not say a word. Can you do the same?"

"Of course I can Violet! What are friends for? I won't tell Duncan, as long as you don't tell Klaus."

"Deal," We even shook on it for good measure.

The two of us did eventually put these thoughts to rest the next day, and managed to go back to talking to our crushes easily. Violet and I would sometimes laugh about it in the distant future. And it wasn't until after Klaus and I officially started dating that I thought to share my little secret with him. I don't know if Violet ever told Duncan about her incident, and to be perfectly honest I didn't really want to know.

I kind of regretted telling Klaus what happened on that day back at Prufrock... because he thought it was the funniest damn thing he'd ever heard in his life.

I shouldn't have told him…

 **~The End!**

 **I don't really have anything to add to this one. Bye!**


	30. Sunny is Getting Married Today

**The title of this one says it all. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Sunny's POV**

I'm getting married today!

I can't believe this is actually happening. I'm 20 years old and I'm getting married! Trevor proposed to me last year and we're finally getting married today. We put off the wedding for a year because of us starting our restaurant together downtown, it's already relatively popular. Since neither of us can obviously cook for our own wedding, we hired a professional named Jake Hix; I was skeptical at first but he was actually really good at his job.

Violet, Isadora, and Fiona had been fussing over my appearance for hours. I can't even count how many times my hair was redone. My nieces and nephew were all excited beyond reason to see their aunt get married. Nikki and Lizzie haven't stopped fangirling, and Sam was mostly just excited to have a big party. The kids also invited their little friends; we didn't mind to be honest. The more the merrier I say!

Violet and Klaus were both going to walk me down the aisle, it was my idea. Since Klaus gave Violet away at her wedding to Duncan. I wanted both my siblings to give me away for mine. It just felt special that way. Beatrice was my maid of honor of course and her fiancé Hunter was the best man. We asked our old friend Justice Strauss to perform the ceremony. She was an older woman now, but she was so excited to see that I was getting married. Everyone was invited to this wedding, and I couldn't be more excited.

"Sunny, are you ready?"

I smiled with pride at my reflection before stepping out to meet my siblings. They smiled at the sight of me.

"How do I look?"

Violet hugged me, "You look amazing, sis."

I saw Klaus trying to hide his tears by adjusting his glasses. "You look wonderful, Sunny."

I smiled at the fact that they were both very unprepared for this day. Klaus was trying not to cry and Violet looked misty eyed too.

"You know... out of all three of us Sunny, you look the most like mother," Violet said quietly.

I looked down a bit, "I know... I see it in my reflection every day."

"How do you feel," Klaus asked.

"Nervous, but excited," I replied, "I know mother and father would have been thrilled to see this day but... we still have a family together. A bigger one now, but it's still a family nonetheless. I mean you two have your own kids and happy spouses."

"And now their favorite aunt is getting married and they'll have a new uncle," Violet said.

We all laughed at that. My siblings then pulled me into a tight hug.

"We're so proud of you, Sunny."

I held back my tears, mainly so I wouldn't ruin my make-up, "Thank you. Thank you both for everything. You're the best siblings in the world."

"I don't know about in the world but we do our best," Klaus replied.

"Is everyone else ready?"

"Yep, are you," Violet asked.

"You bet I am!"

I grabbed my bouquet, which was made up of violets a fact that had not gone unnoticed by my sister, and took both their arms.

I'm getting married to Trevor Macready today.

The ceremony went about as I had expected it to. Everyone was crying because the baby of the family for so long had finally grown up and gotten married. And as I shared my first dance with my wonderful husband everyone was watching me with pride. My two nieces wouldn't stop fangirling. The kids were all happy to have a new uncle in the family. I even noticed Duncan and Klaus reluctantly allowed Nikki and Lizzie to dance with their friends Drake and Lucas. Sam danced happily with his friend Lily, and I smirked at Lily's father, Nick, who was watching along with Duncan and Klaus as the boys danced with their girls. Quigley was an overprotective uncle to his little nieces too, but I think tonight he was more interested in his son having a young lady to dance with.

I knew my young family members were only 11 now, but it was pretty obvious that they were probably going to end up with their friends in the future. No matter how much the girls' fathers and uncles wanted it to not be true. The other girls and I could all see it clear as day. Nikki and Drake would share their passions with one another constantly. He would share his music with her, and she'd draw him pictures. Lizzie and Lucas adored talking about books together. They were little fandom nerds and it was damn adorable watching them interact. Sam and Lily shared their passions too; I could tell they were a perfect match. Even so, the six of them were all very close now and I couldn't be happier to see such strong friendships at such young ages.

I shared a dance with Klaus in the place of our father, then I danced with Violet, and then I took turns dancing with each of my in laws just for the fun of it. And every single one had something to say about how proud of me they were. I danced with Beatrice, and Hunter gave his best man speech; which he somehow managed to get through without crying even though I saw him crying through the ceremony. Jerome Squalor cried harder than most anyone, though it was hard to tell, and even offered to dance with me later that night; I happily accepted of course. Jerome was a wonderful man, and I was happy that he was still our friend after all these years. Even Fernald came to the wedding with his stepfather and Phil, and I noticed Fiona kept helping him with tissues because he was crying too.

Trevor honestly cried when he saw me in my beautiful dress. I hadn't actually cried at a wedding since Klaus and Isadora got married. That wedding broke a lot of us; even Duncan and Quigley cried. But I wasn't a teary-eyed bride like you hear about a lot; I was a bride who simply could not stop smiling. Trevor and I shared a dance with my nieces and nephew before the night was over too. The three kids even gave Trevor hugs and welcomed him as their new uncle.

But once the reception was over and everyone started to head out for the night, before Trevor and I left to catch our flight for our honeymoon to Spain, we had something to do first. I said good-bye to my family and the two of us drove to the local cemetery.

Trevor talked to his parents for a few minutes, introducing me to them and saying things about how they weren't the best people in their day but he did still miss them. We then stopped at my parents' grave markers. I told them how happy I was to have found a wonderful man and how I hoped they were proud of me. After we finished our conversations with our parents we got in the car once more and set off to the airport to leave for our honeymoon.

"So, we're finally married," Trevor said.

"Yes we are," I replied grinning widely, "Mr. Trevor Baudelaire."

Trevor smiled proudly at me. He had taken my surname because he wanted to be a part of a family again.

And I knew he would be a wonderful addition to my family.

 **~The End!**

 **Hurray for happy endings! I got nothing else to add here! Bye!**


	31. It's in the Past

**The past is often better left in the past. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

It was a relatively normal day when it happened. Such is the case with major events in your life, or relationships, things start out normal and then change a lot in a single instant. And that's exactly what happened today.

Quigley and Fiona had their first major fight.

Arguments in a marriage are not uncommon. It's a given that eventually there will be conflict, even in the happiest of relationships. But when a married couple has a fight, it's usually not the end of the world either. This couple loved each other very much, and that's precisely why the fight happened to begin with. It all started this day when the two were out for coffee together during their lunch breaks from their jobs. Their son Sam was on an overnight school field trip with his cousins and wouldn't be home until late tomorrow afternoon, so they were on their own today.

Now when Duncan and Violet had their first major fight as a married couple, it had been resolved in a couple hours. They both realized they were fighting about nothing important and forgave each other for getting so upset. When Klaus and Isadora had their first fight, it was over in a single day. The two couldn't stay angry at each other for very long, and wanted to make up and continue their happy relationship. They couldn't even tell you what they had been upset about now if they tried. Despite the closeness of the family, when these moments happened, the other family members did not want to be involved. The individual relationships were always put first, and the others did not wish to interfere with things that were so quickly resolved.

But when Quigley and Fiona had their fight: it was on a topic that all of them were well aware would get brought up at some point. A topic that Quigley wanted to forget, and avoid at all costs in his happy marriage, but Fiona knew it all too well and it was finally going to be brought up.

Quigley and Fiona were enjoying their lunch break together in peace when it happened:

"Quigley? Is that you?"

The two looked up to see a strange woman had stopped by their table. She looked to be the same age as Quigley. (Fiona was a year older than him.) Fiona raised a brow at this mystery girl and then gave her husband a wary look. This wasn't going to end well.

Quigley, however, didn't seem to recognize the girl despite her recognizing him, "Uh, I'm sorry do I know you?"

The girl nodded, "It's Vanessa, the girl you went to junior prom with when we were thirteen. Is this your new girl?" She gestured to Fiona.

"I'm his wife actually," Fiona replied calmly while glancing at her wedding ring.

Vanessa looked confused, "Wait you married this asshole? What'd he do; knock you up?"

Fiona cleared her throat, "For your information, miss, I got pregnant after we were married. Our son is on a class field trip."

Vanessa gave her a curious look, "I'm surprised you got him to marry you to begin with. He went to the prom with me, but left with my former best friend Valerie. He's probably stringing you along until he finds someone hotter."

Quigley looked hurt, "Look I may have been an asshole back then, but I'd appreciate it if you'd not say such things to my wife. I'm a changed man."

Vanessa snorted, "Yeah right... I wish I had gone to the prom with your brother instead. He wasn't interested in me, but he was at least a faithful man. What happened to your triplet siblings anyway?"

"Both married now, got one kid each too," Quigley replied, "Both girls."

"And I assume you're a protective uncle too," Vanessa commented dryly, "Men like you are such hypocrites. But I managed to find myself a faithful man, who doesn't have a wandering eye. Have a good day, Quigley." She turned to Fiona before saying, "Just don't say I didn't warn you; I'd hate to see another girl get her heart broken by Quigley Quagmire."

She walked away. Quigley gave his wife a guilty look, "I'm sorry if she upset you..."

Fiona grabbed her purse and stood, "I have to get back to work anyway, my break is almost over. I'll see you at home, Quiggles."

As she walked out of the building and out to her car Quigley sighed heavily, "Shit, I'm in trouble..."

Fiona spent most all her work day replaying the scene over and over again.

 _"Isadora did say he used to be like that..."_

 _"What if... no, I shouldn't be thinking like that! Quigley is a faithful husband... right?"_

She momentarily took off her glasses to put a hand to her face in frustration. She was supposed to be working. She was sitting at her lab table trying to do tests on a new spore sample she'd received today, but she simply couldn't concentrate.

With a heavy sigh, Fiona quietly came to a conclusion: She would confront her husband when she got home. Keeping that thought in mind, she managed to get back to her work.

 **~Later that day…**

Quigley got home from work before his wife; something he was actually quite grateful for. Sam still wasn't home from his field trip yet, and the rest of the family members were in their homes already. It would give him a chance to talk to Fiona in private. He felt anxious. He had seen the look in her lovely eyes when she left. She was mad... and he was in trouble.

Quigley used to be something of a ladies man back in the day. When he was 13 he had already kissed 10 different girls. He was a respectful boyfriend when he was with those girls. He never did anything without consent and wasn't typically the jealous type.

 _"Well that's not entirely true I guess... there was that one girl who confused Duncan for me and wouldn't stop flirting with him because she was a complete airhead. I got pretty upset about that when she tried to kiss him, but that was just the one time. And it wasn't Duncan's fault. He was just caught in a bad situation."_

Nonetheless, he never stayed with those girls for very long, a few weeks at most. Sometimes he would break up with them, or on a few occasions they would break up with him. But he was different now. He had grown up and found a woman he had truly fallen for. And he wanted to show her he had changed.

He looked up at the sound of the door opening and Fiona entered the room. She glanced at him before setting her bag and a pile of work papers down without a word. He swallowed nervously; she looked mad. Anyone who knew the Baudelaire/Quagmire family well knew that the women of that family were all particularly infamous for having fiery tempers, and his wife was no exception.

He took a deep breath and started the inevitable conversation, "Fiona-"

"Just tell me Quigley because I'm curious: why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you like that? Why did you have to be like _that?_ How do you think I feel thinking about the fact that my damn husband used to treat girls like that?"

"Yeah I get it! I know it must have hurt like hell! But if you'd just let me explain!"

"Then do it," She sat down in an armchair and glared at him through her glasses, "Tell me."

He gave her a sad look, "I'm not proud of what I used to be like. I didn't even remember that girl's name until she told me. When I reunited with my siblings in the ruins of the destroyed V.F.D. headquarters, do you think I enjoyed hitting on my brother's girlfriend? I didn't! I was an asshole. I was a terrible guy who seemed like he'd never commit to someone but I had a reason. It may not be a good reason, but it's a reason. And that reason is because I... I didn't know where I might find the _one._ "

She raised a brow at him, "The _one?_ "

"Yes, the one. My siblings always said that I'd settle down once I found the perfect woman. They might have been joking some of the time but they were absolutely right. I wanted to find the perfect woman and I didn't know where I would do that. It could have been anyone. So I was young and stupid and I thought... just go through the possibilities. So I did exactly that. I left that girl at that dance because she was bossy, and possessive; she didn't like that other girls kept looking at me. I went for her friend because she was nicer, and I thought it would work out, but that didn't either."

"Then what happened?"

"I met the one."

Quigley moved to sit closer to where she was and grabbed her hand, "I met the perfect woman on a submarine, years ago. She was the captain's stepdaughter and when I met her I was looking over the ship's sea maps because I was interested in them. She came over and told me to not mess with her stuff without her permission and I locked eyes with her for a single instant. And in that moment I thought to myself: it's _her_. I saw a beautiful woman who took no shit from anybody. I saw a woman who was smart, and passionate about her interests, but also gentle and kind to others. And after getting over the shock of seeing someone so absolutely _lovely_ , I knew I had to introduce myself."

He smirked a little and kissed the back of her hand, just as he had done when they met. His smirk grew when he noticed her trying to hold back a smile.

"What happened after that," She asked. The pink blush behind her glasses didn't go unnoticed by him.

He pulled her up with him as he stood and locked eyes with her, "Well... I had to leave her for a couple days. She had to go to a very dangerous place called Hotel Denouement with her stepfather for a secret organization meeting that she didn't even get to attend. And I was worried beyond all reason that after practically just meeting her, I might lose her. So, before I left, I kissed her. And when I kissed her I came to a wonderful realization, and I told her, 'You're the only girl I want to kiss from now on.' And I meant it."

Fiona let herself smile this time, "You did say that... I never forgot it."

"Neither did I. I had never felt more relieved in the world when I saw that you were safe. And when I helped you convince your stepfather to let you live a life with me on land I knew I would never let you go again. Sure I was a selfish guy back in the day. I was young and stupid. But I found myself the perfect woman, I got her to agree to go out with me, I managed to charm my way into her heart, and now years later, I'm married to her and we even have a kid together. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "You know... I wouldn't have it any other way either."

He kissed her deeply before responding, "So am I forgiven?"

She chuckled, "I suppose so..."

"Ok that didn't sound very convincing. Guess I'll have to make it up to you somehow."

"What did you have in mi- Quigley! Put me down right now!"

Quigley smirked and set her down on the couch before climbing on top of her, "There, I put you down."

Fiona pouted a bit, "That was rude."

"No, rude is me taking away your ability to see," Quigley demonstrated this by gently removing her glasses and setting them on a nearby table, before he started kissing her neck affectionately.

She started giggling, "Quigley, you know I don't have any depth perception without my glasses."

"Eh, they'll be useless in a few minutes anyway," He replied slyly, "They'll be fogging up too much."

"Oh..."

He continued kissing her neck before adding, "I love you, Doll, now let me make it up to you..."

 **~The End**

 **What? They're married. They can do whatever they want.**


	32. Storms

**Takes place while they're at Whitmore Academy. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Isadora's POV**

We've only been here a few weeks at this new school so far, and it was already a wonderful home. It was a huge place, the seven of us got to share a dorm, the teachers were all mostly nice; with a few minor exceptions, but no place is perfect, and we were all together like a big family. The one thing I cannot tolerate under any circumstances is the weather outside that was keeping me awake right now. I heard another loud bang of thunder and saw lightning flash through my bedroom window.

I _hate_ storms.

Everybody tells me that I'm dumb for being afraid of thunderstorms, well mostly Quigley to be honest. He thinks my fear of thunder and lightning is stupid. But he's scared of Barney the Dinosaur so I think I win. I'm scared of a lot of things but thunderstorms are probably one of my worst fears. It's been that way ever since I was a little girl. I'm 15 years old, I should be over this! Well, I suppose it's not entirely the end of the world; it did take Duncan until he was 14 to get over his fear of the dark. I wonder if he told Violet about that yet; they do sleep in the same room after all.

I heard more thunder outside and clutched my stuffed animal to my chest and sat up. I glanced over at my roommate Fiona who was sound asleep in her bed. I guess living on a submarine most all her life conditioned her to be a heavy sleeper as the loud storm didn't affect her at all. I sighed and jumped when another bit of lightning flashed outside. There had to be something that I could do to help me calm down. A thought dropped into my head. I wanted to ignore this idea. This idea would get me in so much trouble. But right now it was all I could think of.

I looked at my stuffed Pooh bear, which was a gift from Klaus, and mentally asked, _"Should I do it?"_

...I'm talking to my stuffed animals. I've lost my damn mind. Fuck it, I don't care if I get in trouble I need to sleep somehow.

I very carefully got out of bed while keeping an eye on Fiona, to ensure that she wouldn't wake up and catch what I was about to do. Once I was standing, I tiptoed across the room and opened our bedroom door as quietly as possible. I checked to make sure the hallway was clear before stepping out.

While walking past Violet and Duncan's door I actually heard them talking softly and I could hear Violet start giggling. I do _not_ want to know. I continued down the hall until I reached Klaus and Quigley's room. Once I, very slowly, opened the door and saw they were both still asleep I proceeded with my plan.

I carefully climbed into Klaus' bed and shook him awake. He couldn't see that well because his glasses were on the table, but he gave me a concerned look when his eyes opened.

Obviously not wanting to wake Quigley, he leaned down and whispered in my ear as low as possible, "Izzie, what's wrong?"

I pouted a bit at him, hoping to appeal to his love for me, and softly replied, "Can I sleep with you? I'm scared of the storm..." As I was saying this, another loud clap of thunder roared outside and I quickly curled up into his chest for safety.

I looked up at him with pleading eyes and he gave me a warm smile. Instead of responding, he pulled the blankets over me and got into a more comfortable position with his arm around me. I happily snuggled into his warm chest.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I didn't even care that if my brothers caught us like this they'd probably kill Klaus. Eh, I'll handle it when morning comes. After all, we weren't doing anything bad. If Duncan wants to complain about it, I'll just ask him what he and Violet were doing in their room tonight. I know Violet isn't stupid enough to do anything bad at her age, but it'll still get my brother to shut up. And if Quigley gets upset, I can always bring up the fact that everyone in this dorm has walked in on him and Fiona making out at some point, yes even innocent little Sunny. So that'll definitely keep him quiet. I felt my eyes get heavy and smiled up at my handsome boyfriend. It didn't take long for me to eventually fall asleep now that I'm in his arms.

Despite how things in our past might have gone, we were here together now. And I know that no matter what: Klaus will always be there to help me feel safe.

 **~The End!**

 **This one is super short, but I guess that's ok! Bye!**


	33. We Have to Name It

**It should be pretty obvious when this story takes place in my canon; Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Duncan! Duncan, wake up!"

Duncan immediately sat up with worry at the sound of his wife's frantic voice, "What's wrong Violet? Are you ok? Is the baby coming?"

Violet laughed, "No, that won't be happening for another few months! But the baby is kicking!"

Duncan stared in awe and she gently put his hand on her growing stomach. Sure enough, he could feel the small kicks of their child moving around. Violet smiled at her husband as she noticed a few tears fill his eyes.

"You ok?"

"It's amazing..." He breathed out softly.

"It is," She paused for a moment, "Just think in a couple more months, we're going to be parents!"

"Yeah... Violet, what if the baby doesn't like me?"

"Duncan, don't be ridiculous. Of course the baby will like you. You're its father."

Duncan looked a little concerned, "Yeah but what if I'm not that good at it? Or, god forbid, what if the baby likes Uncle Klaus or Uncle Quigley more than me?"

Violet rolled her eyes and patted his arm, "Uncle Klaus and Uncle Quigley are going to have their own babies to worry about. Isadora is only a month behind me, and Fiona is a month behind her. And every father goes through the same thing. I remember when my mother was pregnant with Sunny, and father was still scared beyond reason that 'this would be the one that hates me! I just know it!'"

Duncan laughed, "Your dad really thought that?"

"He did, mother had to calm him down because he wouldn't stop panicking. Klaus and I thought it was funny."

Duncan's smile faltered for a moment, "I do wish our parents could be here to meet their grandkids..."

Violet sighed, "Yeah me too... but we're adults now, we can take care of ourselves."

The two sat in their bed in a brief silence. They were so excited to be having a baby together, but with their unfortunate history they couldn't help being a bit scared of what the future would hold for their little one. Between the three couples who lived at the family estate, they were going to have three children to care for, each one a month apart from the other. Violet and Duncan were having theirs first. Having a baby is both a wonderful, joyous occasion, for the bringing of new life into this world is most always a happy occasion despite what might be happening along the way, but it is also a terrifying experience that leaves one to question themselves as a person more than they have in their entire lives.

Duncan's concerns about being a father, when he had lost his parents when he was only 13, were not unfounded. And Violet did have similar concerns about being a good mother, since she lost her parents when she was 14. However, they did have one thing that was helping them along. And Violet knew exactly what that one thing was.

"You will be a great father. Do you know why; because of Sunny. We all basically raised Sunny together, and even though you're just her brother-in-law, you treated her like a good father would. You're great with kids, honey, and you'll be just as good with your own kid."

Duncan smiled a little, "I guess I do have a little practice then..."

"And you'll do just fine."

He kissed her before replying, "I love you Violet."

"I love you too Duncan." Violet then smirked, "You know... we haven't thought of a name yet..."

Duncan perked up more at that, "Ok! Uh... hm... Well first of all, are you sure that we're only having one? I mean, triplets kind of run in the family."

She chuckled, "I had a check-up just a few days ago when you were at work remember? We're definitely only having one."

He started racking his brain for name ideas. After a few moments he glanced at her and noticed she was still smirking.

"Why are you smirking like that?"

"Oh, no reason..." She replied in a sing-song voice, still smirking at him.

Duncan's jaw dropped, "You know what we're having!"

"I didn't say that."

"You don't need to; I can see it all over your face. Tell me what we're having!"

"I don't know... you probably couldn't keep it a secret from the others."

He grabbed her hand and looked at her with pleading, puppy eyes, he even pouted a bit for emphasis, "Please? I swear I can keep it a secret."

Violet laughed at his pathetic begging, "Alright, but you can't tell anyone yet; got it?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, I promise now please tell me!"

"We're having a girl."

Duncan's face lit up with joy, "A girl? We're having a girl! Oh my god... Violet we're having a beautiful little girl!"

She grinned at him, "I know! Oh, she'll be so perfect I just know it!"

He hugged her and gave her several kisses all over her face, "Thank you Violet. Thank you... thank you... I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, just thank you, my love."

"You're welcome; honey," Violet replied giggling, "Now that we know it'll be much easier to pick out a name."

Duncan thought for a minute while staring at his beautiful wife, "What's something important to you?" She gave him a confused look.

"What I mean is what if this baby had a name that's important to both of us?"

"If you try to name my child after Dorothy Parker-"

"I don't mean exactly that! I mean a name that's all her own, but refers to something that is important to us. Like ok, you love your inventions. Who's your favorite inventor?"

"Nikola Tesla."

Duncan smiled, and thought for a moment, "What about Nikki?"

Violet thought hard about the suggestion, "That actually doesn't sound that bad... I like it."

"See that was pretty easy," He replied, "And you thought I'd be bad at this."

She chuckled, "I didn't say that! But she does still need a middle name."

Duncan nodded and the two began thinking of possibilities. After some time in silence, Violet smiled at her husband for she had thought of the perfect name.

"Karen."

He stared at her in shock, "What did you say?"

"Karen. Her middle name should be Karen; because it was your mother's name, and that's something important to you. What do you think?"

Duncan hugged her and held back a few tears, "It's perfect... It's absolutely perfect..."

"Nikki Karen Quagmire," Violet said, "Our daughter."

He wiped his eyes, "I hope you know that if a boy tries to-"

"Duncan, you'll have to let her be around boys eventually!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it! We've got to be responsible parents Violet!"

Violet rolled her eyes, "We started dating at 15."

"Yeah well I also asked you to be my girlfriend at arguably the worst possible time. We were trapped in an evil hospital and separated from our only family members because we thought we could escape but we got caught."

"I'm fairly certain that she won't have to go through things like that. And if she does find a boy she likes then we'll just calmly evaluate him to ensure that he's a good guy first, then we'll go from there."

"No boy is worthy of my little girl."

"Alright, well what if she's interested in girls? It's always a possibility."

"Then no _person_ is worthy of my little girl!"

Violet sighed, "There's no getting through to you; is there?"

"Violet, after what I had to watch Quigley be like-" He interrupted himself by clamping his hand over his mouth and Violet gaped at him in surprise.

"You're worried that the kind of guy Quigley used to be would hurt our girl in the future?"

Duncan looked away guiltily. It had been a topic he hadn't wished to think of. He loved his brother. He loved him before the fire, he loved him after finding out he survived the fire, and he still loved him today. But even though Quigley had changed his attitude ever since falling for his perfect woman, he was well aware of the kind of guy he once was. He couldn't help being concerned about his little girl being hurt by someone like that someday.

"That won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

Violet smiled at him before lying back down in bed, "Because our kid will be too smart to fall for that kind of bullshit."

Duncan started to smile before lying down himself and wrapping his arm around her protectively, resting his hand on her stomach, "You're right; she'll be just as smart as you... and just as beautiful."

She chuckled, "Go to sleep honey."

He kissed her cheek, "Good night love... and good night Nikki."

 _"I can't wait to meet my little girl; I'll be the best daddy ever."_

 **~The End!**

 **Yay for Dunclet!**


	34. We Have to Name It Part 2

**Sequel to the last one because someone asked me to do a Kladora baby story; I can't say no to that! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

Klaus was sitting in the library when it happened. It had been in the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon. Both he and his wife had the day off from their jobs. And as usual, he was in the library reading a book... before he was interrupted by his wife's shouting from the other room.

"Klaus! Klaus get in here!"

Klaus, of course, being scared to death of what might be happening to his pregnant wife rushed into the living room to find her sitting on the couch comfortably and smiling at him.

"Izzie what's wrong? Is the baby coming?"

Isadora laughed, "No, not for another few months, but come over here, the baby is kicking!"

Klaus' face lit up and he eagerly sat down beside her and put his hand on her stomach. He could feel the small movements of their little one inside her. He even felt a few tears of joy well up in his eyes; he quickly wiped them away with his other hand. Isadora's eyes were a bit misty too.

"What do you think," She asked grinning widely.

"It's amazing..."

"Isn't it? Oh, I can't believe we're actually going to have a baby..."

He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek, "I know, but you'll be a wonderful mother."

"And you'll be a perfect father."

"Do you know what we're having yet?"

Isadora nodded, "Yep I found out from my last check-up... we're having a girl."

Klaus stared at her in awe before saying, "We're having a girl! Oh my god we're having a girl!"

"And she'll be just as smart as her daddy."

He kissed her, "And just as beautiful as her mother. Duncan and Violet are having a girl too."

"Yep, and I'm sure they'll treat each other more like siblings than cousins," Isadora replied chuckling, "Have you thought at all about a name?"

"I have... but I want to know what your ideas are first."

Isadora thought for a moment, "Well... I kind of like my middle name Elizabeth... what do you think?"

Klaus grinned, "That sounds perfect. I think it's a great idea to name her after you."

"But she does need a middle name," She replied, "Ideas?"

Klaus blushed sheepishly, "Um... well I do have... one idea..."

Isadora smirked at his obvious embarrassment, "What is it?"

He looked away from her, running a hand through his messy black hair nervously, "You'll laugh..."

"No I won't! Last time I checked, this is half your baby too. I want both of us to pick names for her. If I don't like it then we can think of something else."

He was still avoiding her gaze, "Leslie."

Isadora's eyes went wide, "You want to name her after a book character?"

Klaus' face went even darker red; he nodded shyly. He had recently finished reading a book called Bridge to Terabithia, and one of the main characters in it was a girl named Leslie. He really loved the book and thought it would be a perfect name to give his child. Leslie had been a free, energetic, spirit of a character. He also thought that it would be appropriate to name his child after a book character to keep with his and Isadora's love of reading. It just fit. He couldn't explain how it just did.

"That sounds perfect."

Klaus perked up, "You really think so?"

"Of course I do! Elizabeth Leslie Baudelaire; it has a nice ring to it."

Klaus hugged her and gave her several kisses, "Thank you, Isadora, just thank you... I love you."

"I love you too, Klaus. And you're welcome."

There was a brief silence as they hugged each other before Klaus interrupted it by saying, "Now if a boy tries to-"

"Klaus don't even start with me on this! You're two years younger than me, and we started dating when I was 15 and you had just turned 13!"

"No boy is worthy of my little girl!"

"What if she's interested in girls?"

"Then no _person_ is worthy of my little girl! We have to be responsible parents Izzie!"

Isadora rolled her eyes and started talking to her stomach, "Papa's being irrational, isn't he?"

"I'm not being irrational," Klaus huffed, "I'm being a good father."

"A good father knows that he has to let his daughter be around boys eventually."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Isadora sighed, "We'll talk about this later. Right now I have to get back to grading my students' papers."

She then got up and walked over to her desk, "Oh by the way, the other day one of my students suggested to me that we name our child 'Kladora.' A bunch of other kids agreed with her."

Klaus started laughing, "Kladora? What a weird name."

"Apparently, it's our ship name," Isadora said, "My students are weird. I had to calmly tell them to never suggest names again."

 **~The End!**

 **Yay for Kladora! This one is shorter, but only because I didn't want to do all the same points from the Dunclet one.**


	35. Unwanted Partnership

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

It was an unfortunate fact that Klaus didn't have all his Whitmore Academy classes with Isadora. In fact, he only had 3 classes with her; English, math, and history. His other four classes were switched around between him and one or more of his other dorm mates. Science class, with Mrs. Shultz, was the only class he had with Fiona and no one else. This wasn't a bad thing. Klaus and Fiona were friends and dorm-mates, and she was dating Isadora's triplet brother Quigley. The two sat next to each other at their lab table waiting for class to start.

"Alright, everyone, settle down," Mrs. Shultz commanded; she went around the tables passing out papers, "I have an assignment for you today. I'm going to have you work in groups of three on an experiment. Just follow the instructions on these packets and work together. Remember, no tasting or smelling the chemicals or you're going to get sick! Now everyone get in groups of three, not four, not five, three! I have papers to grade from my other class so don't bother me unless it's important. Now get to it, and work quietly."

The students all began scrambling around trying to find their friends to work with. Klaus and Fiona simply smiled at each other and began reading over their assignment. They didn't know anyone else in the class anyway.

"Excuse me?"

The two looked up to see a girl had joined their table. She looked to be somewhere between Klaus and Fiona's ages and, for some reason, her school uniform was clearly a size too small. Fiona raised a brow at this obviously promiscuous girl. The mycologist couldn't help noticing the girl was far too interested in staring at Klaus. This wasn't good.

"Uh, can we help you," Klaus asked politely.

The girl smiled flirtatiously at him, "Yeah can I work with you two? Everyone else is already full. My name is Aubrey."

Klaus looked at Fiona and shrugged, "I'm ok with it if you are."

Fiona gave Aubrey a wary look. She didn't want to agree to work with this girl, but there wasn't really a choice in the matter. If she declined then it wouldn't matter because their teacher might force them to work together anyway. With a polite smile, Fiona agreed to work with her, and she and Klaus introduced themselves.

" _Isadora's gonna flip when she sees this bitch hitting on her man."_

Aubrey happily sat down on the stool on Klaus' other side, and the three began their assignment. All throughout their work, Fiona kept a watchful eye on Aubrey through her triangle-shaped glasses. She couldn't ignore Aubrey's flirting. This girl was obviously far more interested in Klaus than her grade. And as Isadora's friend, Fiona felt it was her job to protect Klaus from unsavory girls like this. Klaus and Isadora were incredibly happy together, Fiona and everyone else could see that they were absolutely devoted to one another, so it was only fair to be a good friend and keep away the bitches who would dare to mess with such a happy relationship. After some time of the three working on their experiment, Fiona noticed Klaus stealthily slip her a note while Aubrey wasn't looking.

 _Help! Aubrey just put her hand on my leg and I can't get her to let go! Isadora's going to be furious!_

Fiona pretended to drop her pencil and leaned down to pick it up. Sure enough, she could see that Aubrey had indeed put her hand on Klaus' thigh and clearly had no intention of moving it. Fiona quickly sat back up and wrote out a reply.

 _Want me to tell the teacher?_

 _No I just need an escape. Fast. What if I "accidentally" pour one of these chemicals on her hand?_

 _Don't! Too risky! …Unless Isadora doesn't want kids ;)_

… _Good point; other ideas?_

 _Switch seats with me._

 _Will she listen?_

 _Will it matter? She's been giving you the bedroom eyes all class and you're a happily taken man! You either switch seats with me, or she thinks about moving her hand elsewhere. Take your pick._

 _Got it, switch seats! I owe you for this; you're a lifesaver!_

Fiona cleared her throat to get Aubrey's attention, "Klaus and I are going to switch seats. I need to be closer to these jars on the other side for this next part of the work."

Aubrey's mouth pressed into a very forced smile, "Ok I understand."

Klaus mouthed a thank you to Fiona as he quickly moved to switch with her. The plan worked for now. Fiona tried to hold back a smirk at Aubrey's obvious frustration at the seating. However, after several more minutes of working, Fiona received a note from Aubrey this time.

 _Listen you little bitch, I don't care if you're his girlfriend. He's hot, I want him, and I'm way prettier than you!_

Fiona held back her laughter at the insinuation before replying.

 _Klaus isn't my boyfriend; we're friends. He's dating one of my best friends Isadora Quagmire. I'm dating her brother Quigley._

 _Then why are you keeping me from him?!_

 _Because Isadora said I can be a bridesmaid at their wedding! And there's no way in HELL any of us are missing that wedding! So fuck off you iceberg, you're not sinking the Kladora ship on my watch. And for the record, Isadora is way prettier than you._

Aubrey's jaw dropped open at that. The next thing that happened was Aubrey, in a fit of jealous anger, "accidentally" mishandled a beaker of chemicals, and Fiona shrieked out in pain as the liquid burned the skin on her left hand. Mrs. Shultz hurried over to their table as Klaus set about grabbing their papers to prevent them from being damaged. Klaus quickly explained what really happened, he had seen the whole thing, and Mrs. Shultz thankfully believed him.

"Miss Widdershins, go wash your hand immediately before that wound gets worse, make sure you wash it thoroughly. Mr. Baudelaire, help Miss Black clean up this mess, and when you're finished," She pointed to Aubrey, "You can go directly to the principal's office," She then pointed at Klaus, "And you go take Fiona to the nurse."

Fiona hurried off to the girls' bathroom to clean her wound. Klaus and Aubrey began cleaning the lab table after putting away their papers. Klaus was glaring at Aubrey through his glasses the whole time.

"What's your problem," She asked him lowly so the other students wouldn't hear.

"My problem? My problem is that you just poured acid on my friend's hand," Klaus snapped at her.

"It was an accident!"

Klaus rolled his eyes, "I saw it; you did it on purpose. Look, you're interested in me whatever, I have a girlfriend! Her name is Isadora Quagmire; we've been together for over a year now and we're very happy together. And even if I didn't have a girlfriend, did you really think I'd go out with you after you poured acid on my friend?"

Aubrey smirked, "I bet I'm better in bed than your girlfriend."

Klaus gave her a wide-eyed look of shock and didn't reply. He finished cleaning up the mess and grabbed his and Fiona's school bags before telling Mrs. Shultz he was going to take Fiona to the nurse. He stopped in front of the girls' bathroom and patiently waited for her to come back out. Once she joined him, she took her bag from him and the two set off to the nurse's office.

"How's your hand?"

"It hurts, but it only made a small wound," She showed him her left hand which now had a nasty red mark on it.

"I'm sorry that this happened."

Fiona shrugged, "Ah, it's not your fault. She'll get in plenty of trouble for it."

"Listen, Fiona, thank you so much for helping me with her. You're a great friend, and I really owe you for that."

Fiona chuckled, "Hey I did that for Isadora too. I'm not letting the Kladora ship sink on my watch."

Klaus smiled, "Thank you. What can I do to pay you back? Anything you want, except money I'm saving up for a present for Isadora…"

Fiona thought for a moment before smirking at him, "Switch rooms with me tonight."

Klaus' smile faded instantly, "But then you sleep with Quigley- oh… I can't do that. Duncan and Quigley would murder me if I slept alone in a room with Isadora. It wouldn't matter what we did or didn't do!"

"I'll handle Quigley for you, and we let Duncan and Violet sleep in the same room anyway. Come on just for tonight? Quigley and I want some alone time."

Klaus considered her offer. "You're sure that, at least, Quigley won't try to kill me?"

"I'm positive; and I'll tell Violet to take care of Duncan for you too."

The two stopped in front of the nurse's office before he finally responded, "Ok I'll do it. But if I hear anything from that room tonight I will disinfect everything it."

Fiona laughed, "Oh please, Quigley and I aren't stupid. If we wanted to do that we'd leave the dorm first."

 **~Later that night…**

Fiona was happily snuggled up in Quigley's arms as the two slept soundly. Switching rooms with Klaus, even for one night, was already a wonderful decision. She had a bandage wrapped around her left hand now, but getting to sleep in her loving boyfriend's arms made it so worth it.

 _Knock knock_

That is until her peaceful slumber was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Quigley, being a heavy sleeper, was undisturbed so Fiona got up, put on her glasses, and opened the door to see Isadora smiling at her.

"You need something," Fiona asked softly.

Isadora hugged her and whispered, "Klaus told me what happened today. You're an amazing friend. Thank you so much for taking that girl down a peg for me. And I am so sorry you got hurt in the process."

Fiona smiled, "You're welcome, Izzie, anything for my friends."

Isadora was about to walk away but stopped and added in a quiet but excited tone, "And thanks for switching rooms with Klaus!"

She let out a small giggle before quickly walking back into her room and shutting the door. Fiona smirked as she shut the door and got back in bed with Quigley.

" _And he thought I'd do something tonight but they're obviously having their own fun in there… even if it is innocent. Those two are so adorable together… but Quigley and I are cuter. What can I say? I'm biased."_

 **~The End!**

 **Kliona friendship one shot for the win. And no Klaus and Isadora weren't doing anything bad when they slept in the same room that night; they're smarter than that, and they're too young for such things. Bye!**


	36. There Might be More

**Three short stories: All the kids are 13. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Hey Mrs. Ford," Nikki asked looking up at her drama teacher.

"Yes, Miss Quagmire, what do you need?"

"How does this look so far?" Nikki gestured to the painting she was making.

Nikki Quagmire was working on designing the sets for the school musical with her fellow drama students. Since she was the most artistically talented of them, she had been tasked with painting a background for a particular scene. Her friend Drake Hyde was here as well, since he was going to actually be in the production. He wasn't the lead, but he was an important character anyway.

"It looks good so far," Mrs. Ford replied, "When you're done just come find me and I'll see that it gets put in a safe place to dry." Nikki nodded and continued with her work as their teacher left the area.

Elsewhere on the auditorium stage, Drake was reading his script trying to memorize his lines. He was silently thankful that most of the kids were rehearsing elsewhere after school this day. It was rather tiresome to have to listen to two or three other kids talking at once while he was trying to read. Perhaps his friend Lucas was starting to rub off on him. But as he read over his lines for about the fifth or sixth time, he started to hear something unexpected. From the other side of the curtain behind him he heard a female voice start singing. Since he was alone, he got up and went over to the curtain and pulled it back a bit to investigate.

As it turned out, it was his friend Nikki softly singing _"Somewhere over the Rainbow"_ as she worked on her set painting.But what shocked him the most was how absolutely _heavenly_ her voice was. He had never heard her sing before; in the few years of their friendship it had been something that just hadn't happened yet. He smiled at her as she sung; she hadn't noticed him standing there.

It was funny to think that the two of them met under such dire circumstances as being kidnapped and trapped together inside the Mortmain Mountains, and yet they were here now. Safe and over the experience, and best of all, they were all very close friends to this day; and they intended to stay that way for a very long time. But as this young man watched his friend sing and work her artistic talents, he felt something else; a small, warm feeling inside at the thought of his friend Nikki Quagmire. The thought of her long ebony hair, which she always tied back with a ribbon to think or work, her soft pale face, and her wide green eyes.

 _"You know, in a certain light... Nikki is kind of...pretty."_

He was so busy staring he didn't even notice she had finished her song and had turned her attention towards him.

"Uh, hello earth to Drake," Nikki said giving him a confused look.

He snapped out of his trance and went over to her side, "You say something?"

She smiled at him, "What's up with you? You were like a million miles away."

Drake blushed and ran a hand through his messy hair nervously, "Sorry I just... I heard you singing and you have a really great voice."

Nikki blushed, "Oh, you heard that..."

He knelt down beside her, "Yeah, you're really good. I wish you were the lead in the musical. Chloe can sing, but you're so much better."

Nikki laughed, "You just want me as your co-star, don't you?"

"Maybe," He replied, "But it would be more fun if we were both in the show."

"That's true, but my talents are better used backstage. And besides, I'll still be here on opening night to watch you make a complete fool of yourself anyway."

Drake chuckled, "Oh, I see how it is."

"I'm just kidding! You'll do fine."

"Do you mind if I sit here to read my script? It's kind of lonely out on the stage by myself."

"You can stay over here, but don't touch my painting."

Drake nodded and moved into a sitting position a little away from her to go back to reading. Nikki dipped her paintbrush in her bucket and continued her work; only this time her thoughts drifted to the boy sitting beside her. She glanced at him. She had known this boy for a few years now, and they were close friends. But lately she had been thinking about him a lot more. She thought about his messy black hair, his pale features, and his blue eyes that his hair kept falling over somehow. She had once attempted to fix his hair, but got frustrated and gave up. And as she thought about it more, she felt something else; a small, warm feeling inside at the thought of her friend Drake Hyde.

 _"You know, I never noticed it before... but Drake is kind of... cute._

Nikki tore her gaze away from her friend and returned to her task. She didn't notice him glancing at her every now and then as well. And the two young friends definitely didn't know that they were both thinking the same thing:

Perhaps there might be more to this than friendship.

 **~At the same time…**

The school library was a perfect place to read or study and that's exactly what Lizzie Baudelaire and her friend Lucas Shepard came here to do. They had a history test tomorrow and were studying together for it, using their homework. Lizzie knew her cousins were off busy with their own tasks, and her other friends Drake and Lily were most likely with them, so it was just her and Lucas. Under normal circumstances, Lizzie was not allowed to be alone with boys. Her father was very strict about this rule, and Lucas was not any kind of exception. Her mother was more lenient to the idea, but still agreed with her husband's policy. However, in this one instance, it was fine since they were in a very public area, and Lizzie trusted Lucas anyway. They were friends; she knew he wasn't the kind of guy that would hurt anyone.

"Lizzie, what was the quote from page 270? I left my textbook in my locker."

She adjusted her glasses and flipped through her textbook, "Ah, here it is." She turned the page toward him and he quickly wrote down what he was looking for.

"Thank you... I don't know what I'd do without you," Lucas quickly looked down at his homework after pushing his glasses up his nose.

Lizzie chuckled, "You'd probably fail to be honest. You read a lot, but you're not that good at school work."

Lucas gave her an unamused look, "Oh, very funny, Miss-Top-of-the-Class."

"You know I'm only second place," She replied modestly, her cheeks turning pink.

"Still better than most others," Lucas reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag of candies. He popped one into his mouth before asking, "Want a peppermint? It helps you think."

"My dad and I are allergic to peppermints. It's a weird Baudelaire thing."

He quickly put the candy away, "Oh, sorry, thank you for warning me."

She shrugged, "Eh, they're not fatal. It's just that our tongues swell up to where you can't understand a word we say. Nikki and my Aunt Violet have it too, but they just break out in hives. My Aunt Sunny gets both reactions so I think I got off easy."

"Heh, those are weird allergic reactions. Though seeing you try to talk with a swollen tongue would be kind of funny."

Lizzie raised a brow at him, "Am I going to have to check my food now to ensure you don't taint it just for a joke?"

"Nah I wouldn't actually do something like that."

The two smiled at each other and went back to their work. Lucas found himself mildly unable to concentrate though. He kept glancing up at his friend several times. He quietly studied her as she diligently worked on her papers. He would likely have never met this girl if it wasn't for the two of them being kidnapped and trapped together in the Mortmain Mountains; but they were friends now and very close friends at that. He had been thinking about his friend often lately. And as he sat here with her next to him he felt something else; a small, warm feeling inside when he subtly looked at his friend Elizabeth Baudelaire. She preferred to go by Lizzie, but he rather liked her full name. He thought of her long black hair that went down over her shoulders gracefully, her soft pale face, and her wide brown eyes covered by her dark blue-rimmed glasses. He had once told her that he thought her glasses were "quite fetching," and she had been rather flattered by the compliment. And this small feeling inside led him to a new thought about his friend.

 _"Lizzie is... kind of pretty..."_

He shyly averted his gaze from her when she looked at him again. He inwardly hoped she hadn't caught him staring.

"Hey, are you going to see the school musical," Lizzie asked, "Nikki is a stagehand and Drake is in it so I was just wondering. I'm going so I can support my cousin."

"I was planning to go actually. After all Drake is one of my best friends."

She smiled, "Do you want to go together?"

Lucas blushed darkly behind his glasses, "Uh... you mean like a... date?"

It was now Lizzie's turn to blush, "Oh no not like that! My dad would kill you... I mean if we just went to see it together. We'll bring Sam and Lily with us of course too since I know they're going. Sam wants to be able to make fun of Drake's stupid costume."

Lucas smiled shyly, "I guess that sounds like a good idea... I'd love to."

She smiled, "Then we'll all go together."

They went back to their work, but Lizzie was quickly interrupted again by something else this time. A small wad of paper hit her in the side of her head and fell into her lap. She glanced to her left to see a group of boys snickering at the two of them. She warily opened the crumpled paper on her skirt.

 _Nerds in love 3_

Lizzie blushed heavily at the teasing note and proceeded to rip it apart. She would throw away the pieces later; she immediately went back to her homework trying to ignore hot her face was. Lucas noticed what had happened and gave her an apologetic smile.

"You want to move to a different table," He asked softly.

Lizzie sighed, "It's fine... I just want to finish my work so I can go home."

"Ok... I'm sorry they do that stuff to you."

"I'm used to it. It's not so bad when Nikki and Sam are around to defend me, but when I'm alone it's basically fair game for them."

Lucas smiled, "You're not alone; you have me."

He then did something unexpected. He gathered up his papers and school bag and moved over to sit on her other side; effectively blocking the rude boys from throwing more paper at her. He then calmly went back to his work as if nothing had happened. Lizzie stared at him in awe. What a kind thing he had done for her.

She went back to her paper with a small smile gracing her lips. But concentrating on her homework now proved to be rather difficult as her eyes kept shifting back to the boy beside her. He was her very dear friend, ever since they met under such strange circumstances, but as she kept subtly staring at him she felt something new; a small warm feeling inside when thinking about her friend Lucas Shepard. She thought about his messy dark brown hair, his pale features, and his green eyes covered by his black-rimmed glasses. His caring, compassionate nature led her to a new thought about her friend.

 _"You know... Lucas is actually kind of... cute..."_

Lizzie tore her gaze away from her friend and returned to her task. She didn't notice him glancing at her every now and then as well. And the two young friends definitely didn't know that they were both thinking the same thing:

Perhaps there might be more to this than friendship.

 **~At the same time…**

Sam and Lily were walking back to the Baudelaire/Quagmire estate after school let out. Sam knew that his two cousins and his friends were off doing their own things at this time so it was just them. They didn't mind, he and Lily were close friends, even though she was now much closer to Nikki and Lizzie.

"I don't know how you kept up with our math lesson so easily," Lily said, "I'm pretty sure you fell asleep in class today."

Sam smiled at her, "It's cause I got my mom's brains. Besides the only class I'm terrible in is English."

Lily giggled, "Yes Lucas told me the infamous story of when Samuel Quagmire accidentally spelled 'The' with an 'F' in front of the whole class. Boy am I glad I don't have English with you; I don't have the restraint to not laugh at you for the rest of the day."

Sam chuckled, "It was not my finest hour."

The two continued walking until reaching the front gate of the estate.

"Hey cakesniffers!"

"Oh no..." Sam muttered as he noticed a smug looking boy with red hair came walking towards them. Sam quietly stepped in front of Lily to keep her away from the boy.

"Who's he?"

"That's Cameron Spats; he lives down the street and he's a huge jerk. I guess he got sent home from school early this year, he normally goes to a private school."

Cameron smirked at the two as he reached them, "What's up cakesniffer? Got a little girlfriend now?"

Sam and Lily both shared embarrassed looks at the insinuation.

"Lily isn't my girlfriend," Sam replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh really? That's good to hear because she's pretty hot. And she should most definitely be with a guy like me," He winked at Lily.

Lily gaped at him, "I would never go out with a guy like you."

She and Sam turned to head inside but Cameron grabbed her arm.

"How about you ditch your loser friend and come over to my house instead?"

Sam lost it at this point. He hated to see the people he cared about get disrespected. And whenever Cameron Spats was around it happened quite frequently. The guy's mother, Carmelita, had promised to keep her family away from the Baudelaire/Quagmire family, due to a complicated history, but it didn't seem to be working. So the logical turn of events was for Sam to yank Cameron away from Lily and step in front of her for protection. He was always protective of his two cousins and his friends were no exception.

"Get out of here before you get in trouble with your mom."

Cameron glared at him before muttering a few choice swears under his breath and walking away. Lily smiled gratefully at Sam and he led her through the gate and up to his house.

As they walked Sam found himself glancing at her without her noticing. They had met under dire circumstances, but they were so close now after the past several years. And as he subtly stared at his aspiring veterinarian friend, he felt something new; a small, warm feeling inside at the thought of his friend Lily Taylor. He had been thinking about her a lot lately. He thought about her long dark red hair that she always managed to keep straight, her soft pale face with freckles spread across her cheeks, and her hazel eyes. He had thought she was cute when they met, but now he had a slightly new thought about her.

 _"Lily is... kind of pretty..."_

What he didn't know as he tore his gaze away from her is that Lily had found herself subtly looking at him when he wasn't looking. Being trapped inside the Mortmain Mountains had been a terrible experience, and she was sure she wouldn't have gotten through it without making her new friends. And lately she had been thinking about the friend beside her a lot more. She felt something else; a small, warm feeling inside at the thought of her friend Samuel Quagmire. She thought of his messy black hair, his slightly tan features, and his wide, green eyes. His fun, outgoing, and fiercely loyal to his family and friends nature helped her think something new about him.

 _"You know... Sam is kind of cute..."_

Lily tore her gaze away from her friend as the two went inside his house to begin doing their homework. She didn't notice him glancing at her every now and then as well. And the two young friends definitely didn't know that they were both thinking the same thing:

Perhaps there might be more to this than friendship.

 **~The End!**

 **Fluff for the win! Yay! Hope you liked the first one shot centered entirely around the kids! Their ship names are: Drikki, Luzzie, and Limuel if you're curious.**


	37. We'll Be Here for You

**It should be obvious that this is an alternate universe; Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Now don't you worry about a thing," Mr. Poe said as he kept his eyes on the road, "I know it's hard to lose so much so quickly but I'm taking you to stay with some friends of your parents. You'll have a nice, comfortable, new home."

In the back seat of the car were Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, both 13 and from a set of triplets. Just last week they lost their home in a terrible fire. Their parents and their brother were gone now. The two sat quietly contemplating their situation. This Mr. Poe was apparently a friend of the family they were going to be living with; they had been staying at his house until he made living arrangements for them. They could only hope he was right about this being a nice new home.

"Um, is this family adopting us officially sir," Duncan asked; he was curious about the specifics of the arrangements.

"No they're just taking you in," Mr. Poe replied, "You don't have to change your names or anything. Your parents had it in their will that you be left in the care of their old friends Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire."

"But we've never met them," Isadora noted.

"I'm sure you would have been introduced eventually. They have children of their own too right around your age. Ah, here we are!" Mr. Poe drove the car into a long driveway of the lovely Baudelaire mansion.

Duncan and Isadora got out of the car and followed him up to the front door. Before they could knock, the doors flung open and they were greeted by a pregnant woman with a bright smile.

"Hello Arthur, are these the Quagmire triplets?"

"Actually, they're twi-"

"Arthur, hush. They are triplets! I should know I was there when they were born," Beatrice said fiercely.

She practically shoved Mr. Poe aside and put her arms around the two kids and ushered them inside. Duncan and Isadora were at first about to get upset about the idea that their birthright had been changed, but now they were holding back giggles at how furiously Mrs. Baudelaire had dismissed the idea. Beatrice all but slammed the door in Mr. Poe's face and turned to them with a warm smile.

"I'm Beatrice Baudelaire," She said, "I used to be Karen's best friend when we were younger. My husband Bertrand is out on a business trip for now but he should be home by next Thursday. And if you don't mind me saying so, it's wonderful to see you again."

Duncan smiled, "I'm sorry but our parents never mentioned you to us..."

"Well we haven't seen each other in years. I think the last time I saw you was when I introduced you to Violet as an infant. After that we just communicated through letters and eventually stopped speaking to each other entirely. Life just kind of got in the way. I had another baby, and I'm about to have my third one, and now..." She looked down solemnly and paused before perking back up and saying, "Never you mind. You're going to live with me and my family and you'll be perfectly fine. And look how much you've grown! Duncan, I remember I got to hold you first when you were born; I could tell you were going to be a handsome young man. Isadora, you're so beautiful now; you have Karen's smile."

She then started leading them through her house as she continued talking, "My oldest Violet is just a few days younger than you; she's 13. And my son Klaus is 11. I expect you'll get along well. I only have one rule in this house: behave. Are we clear?"

"Absolutely, Mrs. Baudelaire, we wouldn't want to do anything to offend," Isadora replied.

"Oh, please call me Beatrice! And you won't have to worry about sharing or anything, this mansion is perfectly big enough for everyone to have their own room. Isadora you'll have the room across from Violet, and Duncan your room will be across from Klaus'. Now let's get you upstairs and into some more comfortable attire. Mrs. Poe has a habit of buying clothes that are far too itchy for some reason."

"We know the feeling," Duncan replied.

Once Beatrice finished showing the two to their rooms, and giving them more appropriate clothing, she took them into the kitchen and offered both of them root beer.

"Now I have to leave here in a while for a check up on my baby and then I have to run some other errands downtown. I trust that you can handle being alone with Violet and Klaus for a while right?"

As if right on cue, a girl ran into the room frantically looking around for something. She had long ebony hair and dark eyes. Duncan watched her curiously as she searched the room up and down for whatever she was looking for.

"Mother," She asked, "Have you seen my hair ribbon anywhere? I think I dropped it; it wasn't in my pocket."

"I'm sorry dear I haven't seen it. But it's good that you're here. I wanted to introduce you to our new guests. This is Duncan and Isadora Quagmire; they're going to stay with us now. This is my daughter Violet."

Violet smiled at them, "Oh, sorry, hi I wasn't paying attention."

Beatrice grabbed her bag off the counter and said good bye before leaving for her appointment. Duncan couldn't help staring at Violet. She was really pretty…

"It's nice to meet you," He said, smiling at her.

Violet returned his smile and a pink blush tinted her cheeks. The two locked eyes for several seconds.

"Get a room," Isadora interrupted with a sly smirk.

They blinked and quickly looked away from each other.

"Uh, you said you were looking for something," Duncan asked.

"Yes, my hair ribbon; it's black and has my initials on it."

Duncan and Isadora started looking around the room with her for the object. They weren't sure why she needed it so badly but it seemed important. They kept up conversation while they looked.

"So, Violet, where's your brother," Isadora asked, "We haven't seen him yet."

"Eager to meet him or something," Violet smirked.

Isadora blushed lightly, "No, I was just asking."

Violet chuckled, "He's in the library; trust me if you ever need him he'll most likely be there."

"Aha! I found it," Duncan shouted, handing the ribbon to her, "It fell under the table."

Violet eagerly began tying her hair back with it, "Thank you Duncan! Now I can get downstairs and work on my inventions."

She turned to leave the room but Duncan spoke up, "You're an inventor?"

"Yes I am," She replied, "If you want, I can show you my studio. It's in the basement."

Duncan smiled and followed her out. Isadora smirked at them as they left. She was always able to tell when her brother was interested in a girl, and now was no exception. She opted to not follow them and explore the mansion herself. She walked down several hallways before reaching a room labeled library. Just as expected, when she went inside she found the sight of a boy sitting in a comfortable armchair reading a book. Despite her being older, he was already a bit taller than her; and he wore glasses that made him look intelligent. Isadora smiled a little; he was actually kind of cute. He didn't even notice she was there as he was too focused on his book to notice anything outside of its pages.

Isadora walked up to him, "Ahem, hello."

He jumped and dropped his book at the sound of her voice. Isadora fought not to laugh.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm guessing you're Klaus, aren't you? I'm Isadora Quagmire; your mom is letting my brother and I live with you guys now."

She leaned down, picked up the book, and handed it to him. Klaus blushed sheepishly and held the book to his chest while looking at the floor. He looked shy; Isadora couldn't help thinking that it made him cuter.

"Um... Hi..."

"What's the matter? Can't talk to girls?"

Klaus nodded shyly and avoided eye contact with her. Isadora giggled at the fact that he had actually answered her silly question. This only seemed to embarrass him more. He quietly opened his book and went back to reading, his cheeks still very red behind his glasses. She turned to look around the private library and spotted the poetry book section. She grabbed a poetry book and sat down in the chair next to him to read.

However, before she started reading her book she smirked at him and said, "I find shy boys to be a charming delight; I'd love to go out with them any night."

To her immense surprise, that actually got him to speak up, "That's a couplet! Ogden Nash uses them!"

She smiled brightly, "I know I've read all his work. I also write poetry."

Klaus seemed to have ignored the obvious flirty implications of her poem because he was so excited that she wrote poetry. She didn't mind; she was sure he would figure it out eventually. They happily continued talking about their shared interest. And it seemed to help Klaus get over his shyness even temporarily. They didn't notice Violet and Duncan had come back from wherever they had gone and were now watching them with smirks.

"Well somebody made a friend," Violet joked.

"If he hurts my sister I'll have to kill him."

Violet shoved Duncan playfully, "Klaus isn't like that. Hell this is the first time I've seen him talk to a girl with actual words, besides me of course. He's very well read, but when comes to a pretty girl he can't form words."

Duncan chuckled, "Want to tell them to get a room?"

"Nah, let them have their moment. We'll tease them later. So how do you like your new home so far?"

Duncan smiled softly at her, "The people are the best part..."

"That's good to hear," Violet put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "And we'll be here for you."

 **~The End!**

 **Not much actual romance in this one but that's ok, it's just a simple alternate universe short story! Bye!**


	38. How Did You Get Here?

**This is the simplest universe alteration I've ever had. Begin!**

 **Note: In this story there is no "there might be a survivor of the fire," you'll soon see why that's important.**

 **~Normal POV**

"Which path should we take?"

"This one I suppose," Violet replied, "But I'm not sure which one Olaf would take."

"At least he doesn't know we're alive," Klaus noted, "That gives us the element of surprise to get Sunny back."

The two elder Baudelaires went further up the mountain trail in hopes of finding their kidnapped baby sister. They had been told by Olivia that the V.F.D. headquarters was hidden somewhere inside these mountains. However, without her map, they were at a loss as to how to reach it.

"Do you hear something," Violet asked.

After a short silence, the two heard a loud buzzing sound and looked up to see a swarm of the infamous Mortmain Mountain snow gnats coming right for them. Violet and Klaus hurried up the trail as the nasty bugs circled them. After several minutes of walking, they reached a cave on the side of the trail and the bugs quickly retreated from the entrance.

"What made them go away so easily," Klaus asked as they walked into the cave.

"Hey cakesniffers!"

Violet groaned, "I think I can guess..."

Inside the cave was a group of about 20 children and one adult all sitting around a campfire. Almost all the children were wearing white Snow Scout uniforms. The only exception appeared to be two kids wearing black winter coats over their clothes and jeans; and had backpacks on. The two out-of-place children were also wearing fencing masks over their faces. After a lengthy explanation by the adult, Bruce, about what the Snow Scouts were; Violet and Klaus were given some winter clothes and masks to wear by the two masked scouts.

After many minutes of the Snow Scouts telling stories, one of the masked scouts spoke up, "I think we should let our new traveler friends tell a story. They might have a lot of interesting tales." The scout's voice indicated he was male.

"Oh, yes," The female masked scout spoke up, "I'd love to hear a Very Fascinating Drama."

Violet and Klaus glanced at each other under their masks. These two were supposedly volunteers. Carmelita then started whining for them to start a story.

"I'm sorry for the delay," Violet said carefully, "We haven't had a Very Fun Day. So it's difficult to think of a good story."

"I didn't realize this was a sad occasion," The male mystery scout replied.

"Oh, yes, we've had nothing to eat all day except some Vinegar-Flavored Doughnuts," Klaus said.

"And then there were the snow gnats, they behaved like Violent Frozen Dragonflies."

"When they form an arrow, they're more like a Voracious Fierce Dragon."

"Or a Vain Fat Dictator I imagine," The female mystery scout replied. The two nodded slowly to show that they had received the message.

Violet and Klaus now knew that they couldn't leave the cave until they were able to speak to the two scouts alone. Carmelita got frustrated over their story and began telling one about herself. Several hours of Snow Scout story time later, it was now dark out and time for bed. The Baudelaires were given blankets to sleep on and the campfire was put out. Once it seemed like everyone else was out for the night, the two mystery scouts approached them.

"We know a shortcut to the headquarters," The boy whispered.

He held out his hand to help Violet up. She couldn't help feeling that there was something familiar about the way his warm hand felt in hers. The girl helped Klaus up, and he was internally grateful that she couldn't see his face since his cheeks burned at the contact of holding a girl's hand. The two led them over to the back of the cave and the girl pulled out a spyglass. She pointed it at a chimney like opening in the ceiling.

"This is a Vertical Flame Diversion," The boy explained, "It's where the smoke was being let out from. It's also a secret passageway to the headquarters. The masks will filter most of the smoke but it'll probably be hard to breathe. It'll echo too so be very quiet."

The boy started climbing and the girl followed shortly after.

Klaus leaned over to Violet and whispered, "How can we trust them?"

Violet was smiling under her mask, "Trust me; they're fine. Let's just follow them."

Klaus seemed to accept this answer and began following his sister up the diversion. Hours of climbing later they finally reached a curved hallway of sorts at the top. The two strangers helped them up and led them down the hallway. After several moments they reached a slightly open door. They all froze in mild panic.

"What's wrong," Klaus asked.

"The door isn't supposed to be open," The boy answered.

The four of them quickly walked through the door to find that the once beautiful V.F.D. headquarters was in ruins. It was a devastating sight as they looked around the broken remains of what appeared to be a kitchen. Klaus' eyes were immediately drawn to the sight of a side area with a large archway that said V.F.D. Library. There was barely any books left untouched and most of them were far too damaged to read. The girl quietly grabbed Klaus' hand for comfort. She seemed to feel the imagery affecting him.

"It must have been beautiful," The boy whispered.

"I'm sure it was," Violet said, "Now are you two going to take of those stupid disguises?"

"Violet what are you-" Klaus was interrupted as the two scouts removed their masks to reveal they were Duncan and Isadora the whole time.

Violet and Klaus removed their own masks and hugged the two triplets as Violet asked, "What are you doing here? We sent you up in the hot air mobile home with Hector!"

Duncan chuckled, "We asked him to drop us off here with some supplies. We've been surviving inside the cave on our own until the Snow Scouts arrived yesterday."

"Where's Sunny," Isadora asked.

"She's been taken by Olaf. We were hoping to get help from volunteers at the headquarters but it looks like the place might have been abandoned for a while," Violet said looking around.

"And Olaf thinks we fell off the mountain trail to our deaths in a runaway caravan," Klaus added, "So we know she's safe for now if he thinks he needs her alive for the fortune."

 **~Some time later…**

The four orphans noticed a plume of green smoke atop Mount Fraught. Hopeful that it might be Sunny, Violet created a climbing invention to use to scale the frozen waterfall.

"Violet, are you sure this is a good idea," Klaus asked worriedly.

"It's our only chance. If Sunny is up there one of us has to check. The rest of you can stay here and search the library for any useful information."

"What if it was two of us," Duncan offered with a small smile, "I'll go with you."

Violet returned his smile, "Thank you for volunteering, Duncan."

Duncan put on the climbing invention and was about to follow Violet over to the waterfall, but Isadora stopped him.

"Listen, please be careful. I don't want to lose another brother..."

Duncan smiled at her, "I'll be fine, I'll be with Violet. Enjoy your quality alone time with Klaus. Just make sure you stay focused ok, little sister?"

Isadora blushed and turned to join Klaus in the library while Violet and Duncan prepared themselves for their waterfall climb.

"Are you ready?"

"No. But my mother used to say that if you wait until you're ready, you'll be waiting for the rest of your life."

"Then let's do this."

The two began their daunting climb up the waterfall. They climbed for a long time before finally reaching a sturdy ledge about halfway up. They sat down to rest for a while.

Duncan reached into his backpack and handed her a small bag of carrots, "I know you probably don't care much for carrot sticks but most of the food Hector left us with was crunchy stuff."

Violet smiled and took one, "I don't mind; we need to regain our energy anyway."

The two ate their snacks quietly for a few moments before Violet spoke again, "Do you think Sunny is really up there?"

"Of course I do! Your sister is one determined kid. She'd find a way to signal for help."

There was another comfortable silence. Violet always felt comfortable around Duncan. He was her dear friend, but in her heart she knew she wanted so much more than friendship from him. With that thought in mind, since they were finally alone together, she felt it was time to bring up something she hadn't stopped thinking about since she saw it.

"Duncan, I know that now might not be the best time, but since we're finally alone I have to tell you something. I did see something inside that red herring statue. I'm sorry for lying to you, but I wanted to get us somewhere safe first."

Duncan blushed and started fidgeting, "Oh... uh... I forgive you. What did you see?"

"A little carving that looked like it said D.Q+V.B."

"Um... and how do you feel about that," He asked nervously.

She grabbed his hand, "I like you too Duncan; I always have."

He grinned and moved to sit closer to her. She rested her head on his shoulder as the two gazed out at the beautiful view of the Mortmain Mountains; keeping each other comfortably warm in the cold mountain air.

The two young volunteers later resumed their climb, and did eventually reach the top to find Sunny. And as they climbed they shared small secret smiles with each other that only they understood.

And when they got back down from their waterfall climb after ensuring Sunny was safe, they also didn't mind teasing Klaus and Isadora for having caught the two of them kissing while they were waiting for their siblings to return. Despite the headquarters being in ruin, and them not knowing the location of the last safe place indicated by the Verbal Fridge Dialogue message, they didn't mind as much because they at least had each other. And they were going to make sure it stayed that way.

 **~The End!**

 **Got nothing to add here; this is another idea I wish had happened in the books. Bye!**


	39. Truth or Dare

**Obligatory one shot; I had to do it eventually. However, I will be doing this mostly for building friendships, and since the characters are all in relationships anyway I see no reason to use "Seven minutes in heaven." This entirely meant to be funny. Age: Violet 16, Klaus 14, Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley 16, Fiona 17. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

It was a cold, Saturday evening at Whitmore Academy; most of the students in the dorms were at some popular girl's birthday party. With the exception of dorm 337, the residents had been invited to said party but chose not to go; Candace Carmine was kind of a bitch so going to her party wouldn't have been any fun.

Violet had just put Sunny to bed since she wasn't allowed to stay up too late and the rest of the dorm residents had decided to spend the night playing truth or dare. And since they were all in relationships already they didn't have to worry about embarrassing each other too much. Violet and Duncan were sitting together on one couch. Klaus and Isadora were sitting together on another couch. And Quigley was sitting in an armchair with Fiona on his lap. Their game was now in progress and Violet started it off.

"Izzie, truth or dare?"

Isadora thought for a moment, "Dare, I can take it."

Violet smirked, "Tell Klaus the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you."

Isadora blushed, "In front of everyone?" Violet nodded.

The poet sighed and looked at Klaus, "Ok so... when we were living at Prufrock, I came by the shack to pick you guys up for breakfast and I accidentally walked in on you changing into your uniform... I swear I only saw you topless, and it was for like two seconds!"

Everyone else laughed, and Klaus smiled at her and said, "Oh, so that's why you were acting weird that day."

Isadora looked at her brothers and asked, "You guys aren't going to hurt him now are you?"

"Nah it was an accident. And it's not like he did anything to you," Duncan answered.

"Now if it had been the other way around then we'd have to kill you," Quigley added.

"Quigley, truth or dare," Isadora asked.

"Dare, I'm not a coward," Quigley said smirking.

"I dare you to let me put make-up on you, and you have to wear it for the rest of the game!"

Quigley's jaw dropped open, "You're evil sis... fine I'll do it, but not too much, ok?"

Fiona let Quigley get up and he followed Isadora into the other room to do his dare.

"I'm sure he won't look too stupid," Duncan said, "It's not like I've never seen him wear make-up before."

Several minutes later, the two returned to their seats. Quigley was now wearing a bit of pink blush, dark blue eye-shadow, and a visible shade of light lip gloss. Duncan and Klaus lost it when they saw him, Violet and Fiona were laughing too.

"Don't worry, Quiggles, you don't look that bad," Fiona said comfortingly as she sat back in his lap.

"You guys can laugh all you want, but honestly I look damn gorgeous like this. Alright, Duncan, truth or dare?"

Duncan, obviously fearful that his brother would make him do the same dare, replied, "Truth."

"Hm... what's the dumbest thing you ever did to impress a girl? And it can't be Violet!"

"Oh, this I've got to hear," Violet said.

Duncan blushed sheepishly, "Ok... We were all at an arcade one time; I think it was when we were 12. I saw this cute girl playing Dance Dance Revolution and I thought if I was good at it I could impress her."

"Tell the rest of the story," Isadora commanded.

Duncan sighed, "...I was too good at it and she got offended that I beat her."

Everyone laughed at that and Violet patted his back, "Don't worry, honey, I wouldn't be offended if you beat me in a stupid game."

"Fiona; truth or dare?"

"Truth," Fiona replied calmly.

"How would you honestly feel if Quigley started wearing make-up permanently?"

Fiona chuckled, "I think it'd be weird, but I'd get used to it over time. He does look pretty glamorous."

"Thank you doll," Quigley replied wrapping his arm around her.

"Violet, truth or dare?"

"Dare, I'm game."

"Go put make-up on Duncan so our boyfriends can match," Fiona commanded, with a smirk, "And he has to leave it on for the rest of the game."

Violet smiled, grabbed Duncan's arm and pulled him along with her into the other room. As they were walking out, Duncan said, "I hate you, Fiona."

"Love you too!"

"I hope you know that if anyone tries to make me wear make-up I won't do it," Klaus said.

"Don't tempt me," Isadora replied with a wink, "I might do it for fun. And I wouldn't want to get left out."

"Don't bother," Quigley said, "His glasses would ruin it anyway."

Klaus gave Quigley an unamused look. Several moments later Violet and Duncan returned. Duncan was now wearing pink blush, lip gloss and Violet's dark purple eye-shadow. Klaus and Quigley couldn't contain their laughter.

"Hm..." Violet looked around the room and smirked, "Klaus truth or dare?"

Klaus gave his sister a wary look, "Truth."

"What's the most embarrassing thing you've done that you don't want Isadora to know about?"

"Violet, I hate you." Klaus racked his brain for a moment; he then sighed and looked at Isadora before saying, "When I was really young I would pretend I was Harry Potter..."

Despite everyone else laughing at his answer, Isadora smiled at him, "That's adorable!" She then snuggled into his arms. Duncan and Quigley pretended to gush over how cute their sister was with her boyfriend.

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Fiona, truth or dare?"

"Dare, I can handle it."

"Would you mind if I use this dare to fuck with Quigley?"

"By all means, please do," Fiona replied, "Now I'm curious."

Klaus smirked, "I dare you to kiss the person on your left."

Duncan, Violet, and Quigley all stared in utter shock.

"Oh, you can't be serious," Isadora said, "Why are you bringing me into this?"

"To fuck with Quigley," Klaus replied.

Fiona shrugged and stood up, "Fine I'll do it; it's just a kiss. How long?"

"Just a peck, but on the lips."

Isadora stood up and moved to stand in front of Fiona, "Klaus, I will get you back for this."

Duncan and Violet were choking back laughter, and Quigley was locked in a stunned silence as everyone watched. Fiona and Isadora leaned in and their lips connected for a second before they pulled away. The two girls then went back to sitting with their boyfriends, unaffected by the exchange. Violet thought it was funny, but the boys were all staring in disbelief that the scene had happened.

"That would have been so hot if that wasn't my sister," Duncan said.

"What the fuck Klaus..." Quigley said, "That one's gonna be hard to beat!"

"I'm afraid to see what you pick next," Fiona said, "Izzie, truth or dare."

"You think I'm taking my chances after that? Truth."

Fiona chuckled, "Is Klaus a better kisser than me?"

"A shit-ton better yeah!"

"Not something we needed to hear," Duncan and Quigley said in unison.

"Violet, truth or dare?"

Violet shrugged, "Dare."

Isadora smirked, "Can I use my dare to get back at Klaus?"

"Absolutely," Violet chuckled.

"I dare you to kiss me."

Klaus, Duncan, and Quigley all stared in shock and Fiona was trying not to laugh. Violet stood up.

"Sure it's just a kiss. On the lips?"

Isadora nodded and moved to stand in front of her. Violet and Isadora kissed for a single second before pulling away and sitting back in their original positions. Fiona was now laughing and the boys were all shocked beyond belief.

Isadora smirked at Klaus, "There. I got back at you."

"Is my brother a better kisser than me," Violet asked jokingly.

"Yes, he is! And before anyone asks, I'm not going to say who the better kisser was between Violet and Fiona. You can find that shit out yourselves."

"I think that would actually kill Duncan and Quigley," Klaus noted.

Quigley muttered something under his breath but nobody could discern what it was. Duncan was still shocked that his girlfriend had willingly kissed his sister.

Violet smiled at Duncan, "Truth or dare?"

Duncan considered his answer carefully. What could she possibly make him do? "Dare."

Violet laughed, "Wrong answer; I dare you to kiss Klaus."

"Oh, hell no," Duncan and Klaus said simultaneously.

"A dare is a dare, boys," Isadora said, "Just get it over with."

"If you're careful you won't get too much lip gloss on you," Fiona added.

Quigley was smirking in delight at watching his brother's humiliation. Violet was looking at her boyfriend and brother expectantly for their eventual surrender. Isadora and Fiona were both giggling. Duncan and Klaus both sighed in defeat and moved to stand in front of each other.

"Do we really have to do this," Klaus asked.

"I'm sorry, but they won't let up until we do... and I guess it'll give us some insight as to why each other's sisters like us so much."

"Just kiss already," Everyone else commanded.

Klaus and Duncan locked lips for a second before pulling away and avoiding eye contact with each other. Quigley was of course laughing the hardest out of everyone.

Duncan glared at his brother, "You shut up or I'll make you kiss him."

Quigley grinned, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Duncan, undeterred by the response, decided to go about it a different way, "Izzie, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What was the first couplet you wrote about Klaus?"

Isadora blushed heavily, "I hate you Duncan..." She turned to Klaus, "The first couplet I wrote about you was: 'It would be a rush to last, if you were pressed against me real fast.'"

Violet and Fiona laughed, "Damn Izzie you're a pervert!"

"Oh, yeah like you two are ones to talk." Isadora pointed at Fiona, "Everyone in this dorm has walked in on you and Quigley making out," She pointed at Violet, "And you straight up share a room with Duncan. And you two call me a pervert? At least when Klaus and I make out we do it in private! Alright last round before bed: Quigley, truth or dare?"

Quigley glanced at Duncan, thinking he was safe from the previously made threat, and confidently said, "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Klaus."

"Fuck you, Isadora."

"Hey that's Klaus' job," Fiona said giggling; she stood to let Quigley get up.

Klaus sighed in defeat, "I'd better get compensation for doing this."

Klaus and Quigley kissed for a split second and pulled away, while everyone else laughed.

"So, which of my brothers is the better kisser," Isadora asked jokingly.

"I am not answering that question."

The six teens went to bed for the night. Out of sympathy for the embarrassing dares, Fiona switched rooms with Klaus, so he and Isadora could sleep together; while she and Quigley slept together. All in all it was a pretty fun night despite how weird it got towards the end.

And it would be a pretty funny story to tell people in the future.

 **~The End!**

 **I have nothing to add here! Remember this was just meant to be funny! Bye!**


	40. Late Night Comfort

**There probably won't be much romance in this one because of the subject but I wanted to write this anyway. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Klaus' POV**

Prufrock really is such a boring place but at least we have the Quagmires to help us get through it; though some days I feel like it's us helping them too. But right now my biggest concern wasn't my stupidly boring measuring class or the terrible school food or the ridiculous punishments for breaking the rules. Right now my biggest concern was that I couldn't sleep. It was our eighth night here and I was lying on my hay bale in the shack. I've been up for a little while, and both my sisters were sleeping peacefully. I sighed and put my glasses on before slowly getting up and walking out the door.

The Hinterlands did get pretty chilly at night; I guess Duncan and Isadora were right to give us those blankets so we wouldn't freeze in our pitiful shack. I was planning to sneak into the library and try to find something to read. Miss Caliban would probably be upset but I knew I wouldn't keep the book permanently. However, my plan was halted when I saw a figure pass by through the stone archways of the school buildings. I recognized the person too; I could tell it was Isadora. I saw her walk out to the athletic field clutching something to her chest. I got curious as to why she was out so I followed her. I saw her sit down against the bleachers. I couldn't help my heart rate increasing; this will be one of the few times she and I get to truly be alone together. My feelings for her were rather stupidly obvious... as much as I wished I could hide them.

I walked up to her and heard something that I never wanted to hear: she was crying. There's no way I can ignore her now; she's in pain and needs help.

"Hey Izzie..." She flinched and looked up at me. Damn her beautiful brown eyes for making me so weak.

"Klaus I- what are you doing out here?"

I sat down beside her, "I was going to ask you the same thing. I couldn't sleep and I noticed you come out here. I heard you crying..."

She looked away from me and continued clutching a mystery object to her chest. After a brief silence she spoke again.

"I couldn't sleep either... I don't see how Duncan can..."

"What's wrong?"

"It's the anniversary of our fire... we've been here for over a year, remember...?"

"I'm very sorry to hear that," I replied softly.

I didn't know how to respond to be honest. My fire happened much more recently and I feel like I'm still getting over it. But her... she's had it so much worse. I looked at the object in her hands trying to discern what it was in the dim moonlight.

"What's that?"

She pulled away from me as if I would break it just from looking at it.

"I just wanted to see it..."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Promise you won't break it?"

"Of course, I have a very gentle touch," I smiled a little to reassure her.

She conceded after a moment and moved closer to me. I tried to hold back the little rush of happiness I got inside with her being so close. Now is not the time for that. She put it gently in my hands and I held it on my lap. I pushed my glasses up my nose and studied it. My eyes went wide in quick realization at what it was.

"I managed to save it from the ruins when I found the spyglass half..." She wiped her eyes again. "It was taken a month before the fire. It's the last picture we have of all three of us together..."

It was a small picture of her whole family. The edges was battered and burnt, but it was intact and whatever frame it was previously in must have kept it safe from harm. In it was Isadora with her arms around both her brothers and her parents smiling proudly behind them. I felt a lump in my throat as I heard her sob quietly beside me. I handed the picture back to her and she once again clutched it to her heart with one arm.

She took the opportunity to lean on my shoulder and I timidly put my arm around her. Duncan would probably be upset at me holding her like this, he was a protective older brother, but since she didn't pull away she didn't seem to mind. I forced myself to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling inside at having such a wonderful girl in my arms. I don't want to think about that right now; she needs comfort.

"Perhaps you'd feel better if you told me about it... unless it's too painful to talk about."

Isadora sniffled and replied, "It was nighttime, around this hour I think. Duncan and I were asleep in our room, and Quigley was staying up late in the library. He was probably reading a book or something. We were woken up by the sound of glass breaking and we could smell smoke. Our father ran into the room and told us there was a fire; someone had thrown a torch through our parlor window. He grabbed both of us and managed to get us out into the driveway. The whole mansion was already falling apart at that point, but he was determined to save mom and Quigley so he ran back inside... none of them came back out."

All I could do was hold her as she started crying again.

"So it was arson then," I noted, "Did they ever find who did it?" My mind immediately drifted to a wicked man I knew who could have performed such a heinous act.

"No and we never really thought about it. We were too upset at the time. When the fire department arrived they took us to a shelter for the night and the next day we were picked up by our family's financial adviser. We never learned her name but she was never very nice, really snobbish, and always wore really weird clothes. She put us in her car and simply said, 'your parents' will states that you're to be dropped at a boarding school until you come of age and you'll get your sapphire fortune.' She dropped us off here and the rest is history."

"Yeah she doesn't sound very nice; she didn't even seem to care about your feelings."

"She certainly didn't," Isadora replied, "But you were right... telling you did help a little."

"Well it's always nice to have someone to talk about your problems with."

"That's true; especially when it's someone as caring as you." I saw her smile a tiny bit at her unintentional couplet and I returned her smile.

She then yawned and moved to stand up. "It's late... I should get back to the broom closet before Duncan wakes up and gets worried."

I stood with her. "I'll walk you back."

"Are you sure you want to do that? Because he might get the wrong idea if he sees me with you alone at night..."

I couldn't hold down the heat that filled my cheeks at that insinuation; thankfully it was too dark for her notice. "Uh, I'll be fine. I'm sure he will understand nothing...uh...bad happened. Besides I don't want you to be alone..."

She smiled bigger at me this time and put the picture in her uniform pocket. She grabbed my hand and we walked back through the school halls to the broom closet she and her brother were forced to live in.

Upon arriving, she gave me a warm hug and whispered something in my ear. "Promise you'll still be here when I wake up tomorrow?"

"Of course Izzie, I'm not going anywhere. Now get some rest, because if you start falling asleep in class we'll both be in trouble."

That comment made her giggle quietly, "Yeah that would be bad."

We pulled away from our hug and I turned to leave. "Good night Isadora."

"Good night Klaus," She then added, "Thank you for caring for me."

I didn't get a chance to respond to that before she disappeared behind her room door for the night. I managed to finally fall asleep when I got back to the shack minutes later. The next day, Isadora and I were a little tired from staying up late but she seemed much more comfortable and happier after I helped her last night. She seemed to feel the weight of her situation more than her brother. I can relate since I'm more sensitive to my situation than my two sisters.

But I knew that no matter how bad the situation got for either of us, I will always be there for Isadora when she needs me.

 **~The End**

 **See you in the next one!**


	41. We're Parents

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Duncan, will you please stop freaking out?"

"Violet; how can I not freak out? You're in labor!"

Violet rolled her eyes, "Yes I am now let's just get to the hospital. The others will meet us there."

Duncan grabbed her bag and joined her at the front door. "Violet... we're about to be parents."

She smiled at him, "I know."

When everyone arrived at the hospital Klaus and Quigley were freaking out the most about becoming uncles. Isadora and Fiona, both pregnant themselves but not as far along, simply sat with them in the waiting room and calmly read their books. The two found their respective husband's reactions amusing. Sunny was practically jumping up and down with excitement. On this day, the Baudelaire and Quagmire parents in the great beyond were going to get their wish when Violet and Duncan had their child. Unfortunately only the father was allowed to be present when the baby was born so the others had to wait outside.

 **~Several hours later…**

"It's a girl!"

Violet was handed their little daughter wrapped in a tight blanket. She had tears in her eyes and Duncan was standing beside the bed watching with pride.

"She's here..." Duncan breathed out softly.

"She's real..."

"Violet... she's perfect..."

The nurse helped write out the birth certificate before leaving the happy couple alone.

"Duncan, would you like to hold her?"

He smiled and eagerly took his daughter into his arms. She had his wide green eyes and black hair from both her parents. The rest of her facial features were a mixture between the Quagmire and Baudelaire sides of her family. Duncan couldn't hold back his tears.

"Honey are you crying?"

"Maybe..." He gently hugged her to his chest. "I can't believe she's actually here."

Violet smiled proudly at him, "We did a pretty good job, didn't we?"

"Heh, yeah we did." He gently handed the baby back to her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine after I rest; now go get everyone else," Violet replied, "I'm sure they're anxious to meet their niece."

"Hey Violet..."

"Yeah?"

"We're parents," Duncan said proudly.

Violet held their little baby close to her heart gently, "Yeah we are..."

The two stared at their beautiful daughter and thought about their own parents. Though they were no longer with them due to tragic circumstances they could see traces of their bloodlines in their daughter's smiling face. She was gazing up at them curiously, her eyes full of wonder at her surroundings and all the new experiences she was having. Duncan and Violet could even sense their parents' spirits watching them with sheer joy at the sight before them.

"Your name is Nikki Karen Quagmire," Violet said, "And we're so happy to meet you at last."

Everyone was overjoyed to meet their little niece. Klaus and Quigley were trying not to cry and told Duncan how happy they were for him. Isadora and Fiona couldn't stop gushing over how cute she was and how excited they were to eventually meet their own babies soon. Sunny was squealing with joy at being an auntie a last. Once the baby girl was taken away by a nurse, the whole family gave Violet and Duncan hugs and left the two alone once more. Duncan sat with his wife as she rested from her tiring ordeal.

"Do you think they're proud of us? For making it this far I mean," Duncan asked.

"Of course they are," Violet answered, "Everyone's happy for us. And we'll be wonderful parents."

"I promise I'll be the best daddy ever."

Violet gave him a look, and he changed his statement, "Alright, I'll try to be the best daddy ever."

"And you promise that you'll let up on her being around boys eventually?"

Duncan paused, "I'll think about it."

 **~The End!**

 **Shortest one so far I know, but I wanted to make a wholesome short one this time. I'll see you in the next one! Bye!**


	42. Valentine's Day

**The kids are all 13; begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Alright settle down everyone," Miss Daniel commanded, "Now since I'm behind on my grading papers, after the rough weather we've been having, I'm going to let you have a free day today. I need to grade your homework so I'll give you a simple assignment to keep you occupied: just make a valentine and give it to someone. You'll find art supplies in these containers. Try not to make a mess and before anyone asks, no it doesn't have to be romantic. Now get to work and don't get too rowdy."

The English teacher sat down at her desk while the students scrambled about looking for supplies to make their valentines. It was pretty obvious that the students didn't really want to do such an assignment but they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to avoid normal schoolwork for the day. Three girls in particular were sitting at their table contemplating their assignment; Nikki, Lizzie, and Lily all had English class together.

"I wish we didn't have to do this," Lizzie said.

Nikki shrugged, "It's just a card."

"No I mean because we don't have anyone in this class we'd want to actually give the card to..."

"Lizzie's right," Lily spoke up with a frown, "All the guys in here with us are jerks."

Lizzie nodded solemnly. Nikki thought for a moment before getting up and walking over to their teacher's desk. Lizzie and Lily watched as she returned a minute later.

"We can make them for someone that's not in class as long as we just make one." With that permission the three girls set to work on their projects.

Nikki, being an artist, made a beautifully decorated card with flowers drawn all over the edges. She knew she would give this card to her friend Drake, but she wasn't sure what it should say just yet. Most of her time was spent drawing on it. Lily made her card for Nikki and Lizzie's cousin Sam; he was her friend and she wanted to give it to him. Though Nikki and Lizzie could tell that Lily was starting to feel more than friendship for their cousin; they chose not to comment to avoid embarrassing their friend. Lizzie thought that writing a couplet for her friend Lucas would make the perfect valentine. Her mother was a poet and she knew couplets were something important to her parents; especially on her father's birthday. After some time, the girls finished their cards and showed them off to each other.

"Of course yours looks the best, Nikki," Lily commented, "You're the one with all the talent."

"Mine isn't that great; yours looks good too, Lily," Nikki replied modestly, "I'm sure Sam will like it."

Lily blushed a shade of pink, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nikki smirked, "Never mind... What about yours Lizzie?"

Lizzie shyly showed her card to her cousin and friend. "How does it look?"

"It looks good, I especially like the poem you put there," Lily replied with a smile.

"Auntie Isadora would be proud of that couplet," Nikki said.

After a brief pause, Lily asked, "We're just making these as friends... right?"

"Oh, yeah of course," Nikki answered hastily.

"Absolutely," Lizzie added, "Why would we make them for, ahem, any other reason?"

"You're right..." Lily nodded, "Just friend valentines..."

"Just friends..."

"Besides our dads would kill the boys if these were romantic valentines," Nikki said.

"That's true," Lizzie and Lily replied in unison.

As it turned out the three boys made just friend valentines for each of them as well. The kids exchanged these cards after school let out and they had gone to the Baudelaire/Quagmire estate to do their homework. The adults were out for their own Valentine's Day plans leaving the kids alone; this wasn't a huge issue because they knew they were trustworthy.

Drake's card for Nikki was poorly drawn, but cut in the shape of a music note. It had a verse from a song written on it: "Without you there's no reason for my story, and when I'm with you I can always act the same." Nikki's card for him had no words on it, her talents were better used without words, but Drake loved it anyway. He was always happy to see her art.

Lily loved Sam's card for her. It had a picture of two messily drawn otters holding paws; otters were her favorite animals. It said, "Otters hold paws so they don't float apart, I hope you and I are like otters so we'll always be together." Her card for him had a bouquet of flowers drawn on it with the simple saying, "I'd always pick you." While rather cheesy, Sam loved it regardless.

Lizzie's card for Lucas had very few decorations on it and had a single couplet: "In my heart I want it to be true, be my valentine; would you?" Lucas blushed heavily at the poem and shyly gave her his card. It was made to look like a book and it said, "Special people are very few; who is special, Carissima that would be you." Somehow they had both thought to write a couplet. Lizzie made a mental note to research what Carissima meant later, but she loved the card all the same.

It may have been a dumb class assignment but the kids couldn't have been happier to share cards with people they cared for. Nikki and Lizzie made Sam promise not to tell their parents about the valentines, for fear of getting in trouble for possible romantic feelings for boys they weren't allowed to have yet. Sam reassured his cousins with a smile and a funny response.

"Don't worry about it, I won't rat you out. Besides they're just friend valentines... right?"

Nikki and Lizzie smiled, "Yeah just friend valentines..."

Or perhaps they were more than that... since Lizzie found a book in the Baudelaire private library that explained that Carissima was Latin for _"dearest."_

 **~The End!**

 **I hope you liked this cutesy little story! And I hope you liked the cards I had them make! Happy Valentine's Day! (My fiancé has to work so I'm spending it alone pretty much! But that's ok!)**


	43. Incentive

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Why is this class so stupidly boring?"

"Because this school insists on killing its students with useless knowledge," Isadora replied flipping through her notes.

Klaus chuckled, "Oh so that's why the school motto is, 'Remember you will die.'"

Isadora giggled, "You got that right."

The two were studying for another boring measurement quiz in the orphan shack. Sunny was still in the administrative office to finish her work day, and Violet and Duncan were off together somewhere. This left Klaus and Isadora alone for a while. Isadora was trying to help Klaus remember facts for their upcoming quiz. He had a photographic memory, but he was having trouble focusing on the material for some reason. What she didn't know was that she was the reason he wasn't able to focus. Klaus was very intelligent, but his normally genius brain went haywire around Isadora. She was so lovely and wonderful, he couldn't help it.

Isadora glanced at her handsome researcher friend and smirked as an idea fell into her head. It was a very sneaky idea but it should help Klaus remember what he needed to for their test. And it'd be fun for her too if he did it right.

"I have an idea..." The way she said it just made him curious to know what she had planned. "How about we play a little game? I'll ask you ten questions and if you can answer all of them correctly, I'll give you a reward."

Klaus smiled at her. "Uh, ok; but what kind of reward do I get?"

Her smirk grew as she replied, "I'll give you a kiss."

He blushed darkly behind his glasses and started stammering; unable to string together a sentence. Isadora fought to hold back laughing. He was so cute when he's all flustered. Nonetheless, he took a deep breath and agreed to play her game.

"Ok first question." She opened her pitch black notebook. "What was the length in centimeters of the blue scarf that we had to measure together?"

"152.4 centimeters."

"That's right," She replied, "But you have to get all the questions right to get your prize."

So their game continued; and Klaus seemed to gain a vast amount of knowledge out of nowhere because he answered every question right down to the last decimal number in some cases. Surprisingly, Mrs. Bass wasn't as strict about such precise measurements.

"Ok, last question. How long was the yellow model car in centimeters?"

"16.78 centimeters."

Isadora checked her notes and frowned. "I...I'm sorry Klaus that's wrong. It was 17.78..."

Klaus frowned. "Oh..."

Isadora closed her notebook. "I'm sorry. You got almost all of them though so you'll still pass the test."

 _"He's so disappointed..."_

Klaus gave her a small, shy smile; one of those smiles she loved so much. "I... um... I was kind of... I was really... I wanted that kiss..." He looked embarrassed and quietly looked away from her to hide the evident red on his cheeks.

She thought for a moment before smiling as another idea hit her. She moved closer to him from her position on his hay bale.

"Well you did get 9 out of 10... I suppose that should get you something at least."

When he looked at her again she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. If it was possible, his face got even redder and he stared at her with wide eyes. He then fell back on the hay bale and narrowly missed hitting the wall behind him.

"Klaus?!"

He had fainted.

Isadora, while still very concerned about him, found herself holding back giggles.

 _"He must have really wanted that kiss. Well... if he gets a good grade on his test I'll consider giving him a real one."_

 **~The End!**

 **Just something short and cute that I wanted to write! Bye!**


	44. Surprise!

**Semi-book canon only; begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

 _"The Queequeg is looking a lot better since Violet started taking over the repairs."_

However, as Fiona was walking past the barracks to get to the library she stopped when she heard the soft sound of someone crying. Curious about the noise, she turned and saw the barracks door was open slightly. She opened it more and looked inside to find Violet sitting on one of the many bunk beds crying. Normally when someone is crying it is usually a good idea to try to comfort the person, or sometimes ignore them so they don't feel embarrassed about their tears. In this case, Fiona wasn't sure what the better option was. She and Violet had been rather argumentative with each other since the Baudelaires boarded her submarine; with her stepfather not around she had to take charge as captain and that perhaps meant being... too bossy.

It wasn't that Fiona hated Violet, far from it. She would love to be her friend, but it was clear now that they were both under tough situations of their own; causing them to be rather difficult to get along with. With that in mind, Fiona swallowed her pride and went over to Violet to see what was bothering her.

"Violet?"

Said girl jumped and looked up at her in surprise. "Oh, hi Fiona..." She paused to wipe her eyes. "Need something?"

"No I heard you crying; I just wanted to know what was going on."

Violet then tucked something away in her uniform pocket; it looked like a scrap of paper from a notebook. "I'm fine."

"You're clearly not fine. Look I know we haven't gotten along, but if there's something upsetting you I'd love to at least talk about it."

"I said: I'm fine." Violet was almost glaring at her now with visibly puffy eyes.

Fiona sighed, "Fine, but if you need anything just ask."

She walked out of the room, ignoring the sound of Violet shutting the door behind her, and continued towards the library.

"Sorry."

Fiona blinked in surprise and looked down to see Sunny had found her. Her word translated to, "I'm sorry about my sister, she's in a bad mood right now. She didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah I can see that," Fiona replied, "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen?"

"All done," Sunny replied, meaning, "I'm finished with my job for now. I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok... come into my office." She took the small girl's hand and led her into the library.

Sunny climbed onto her desk and Fiona sat down in her chair, "So what's the problem?"

"Violet misses Duncan."

"Who's Duncan?"

"Duncan Quagmire," Sunny replied. ("Duncan is a boy she really loves. She won't stop staring at that notebook scrap from him that says, 'D.Q+V.B.' Well I assume that's what it says, I know he carved it into a fish statue so he probably wrote it in his notebook too.")

"Aww what happened?"

Sunny explained how Duncan and Isadora got kidnapped and how they ended up saving them. She then talked about their brother Quigley and how he got separated from the Baudelaires. She didn't know the full details of Quigley's survival story so she wasn't able to explain how he was alive in the first place.

"So Violet is stressed because she misses her boyfriend?"

Sunny nodded and then added, "Klaus misses Isadora. He loves her."

"I can tell," Fiona replied, "I knew from the moment I met him that he loved someone else."

Sunny apologized which meant, "He misses the feeling he had when he was around her. He's hopelessly in love with her."

Fiona glanced at the telegraph machine on her desk. "I have an idea."

Violet tried to wipe away her tears so she could come out of the room without showing how upset she really had been. She looked at her scrap of Duncan's notebook one last time before putting it back in her pocket for good.

 _"If something happens- If something goes wrong-"_

 _"Nothing will go wrong."_

How she wished that Duncan had been right that fateful night. He had been so very wrong. Instead of him and Isadora coming safely back in the morning after running laps in their place, the plan backfired entirely and they were kidnapped and forced away from them. When Duncan and Isadora got their precious notebooks destroyed by Esmé's harpoon gun, one of the pieces of paper held a message for Violet that Duncan didn't wish to share with anyone. It was the same message he carved into the red herring statue while trapped inside. The paper said D.Q+V.B and it was the one piece from their notebooks that Violet kept strictly to herself. The other papers were with Klaus and he had put whatever information about V.F.D. he could discern from them in his own commonplace book. Quigley had promised Violet that he would reunite them with his siblings because he wanted to prove to Duncan that he loved his brother.

 _Knock knock_

Violet sighed and went to open the door. She was prepared to get mad at whoever it was for disturbing her, but her words were caught in her throat when she opened the door.

"I heard you were missing your boyfriend," Fiona said, "So I made some arrangements with Hector over telegram and he let them off to board the ship."

Duncan hadn't said a word; he and Violet were just staring at each other in shocked joy. Violet quickly grabbed Duncan in a tight hug and mouthed a thank you to Fiona.

Fiona smiled her response as the two embraced, but they were interrupted after a moment by a voice saying, "Uh, does your best friend get a hug too?" Violet and Duncan pulled apart to see Isadora and Quigley standing nearby.

Violet hugged Isadora, and then gave Quigley a friendly hug, "Quigley how did you end up with your family again?"

"That's easy, after going down the Stricken Stream I met Kit Snicket at the other end, she's Jacques' younger sister, and she gave me transportation to get to the hot air mobile home so I could protect my family. I was only there for a couple hours before Hector got the telegram and let us off on this submarine."

"Quagmires!" They all looked down to see Sunny run up and hug each of the triplets.

Sunny revealed that she had helped Fiona with her plan to see her siblings happy. After the triplets were given customary Queequeg uniforms, which were very welcome changes to what they were wearing. Violet took Duncan off somewhere private to "talk," Sunny went back to the kitchen to help Phil with dinner, and Isadora nervously asked Fiona where Klaus was so she could see him. Fiona smiled and led her to a back room where Klaus was studying tidal charts.

"Hey, I got a surprise for you," Fiona said, getting Klaus' attention. Isadora ran up to Klaus and practically pounced on him with a hug.

"Izzie? Wha- How-" Klaus saw Fiona wink and shut the door to give them some privacy.

"I like her! She's a great friend," Isadora said. She then pulled Klaus closer and added, "Now that we're alone we have a lot of lost time to make up for..."

Klaus didn't get a chance to even try to respond as Isadora kissed him.

 _"Well they're a lot happier now,"_ Fiona thought as she made her way back up to the main deck to continue driving the ship.

However, when she got there she saw Quigley looking over her maps with intrigue.

"Oh hi captain," Quigley said, "Sorry for messing with your stuff, I was just curious that's all."

Fiona laughed lightly and went to join him at the table, "It's perfectly fine; you're allowed to look. You must be Quigley; your friends told me about you."

"Yes I am, and I'm afraid I didn't catch your name..."

"Fiona Widdershins; this is my submarine. Well it's my stepfather's actually, but while he's not around I'm in charge of it."

Quigley smirked, "If you don't mind me saying so you're the cutest captain I've ever met."

Fiona smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink, "I don't mind you saying that at all."

"So can I stay in the captain's quarters tonight," Quigley joked, "My siblings are a little busy with their significant others so I doubt they'll miss me."

"...I'll think about it..."

That night everyone celebrated Violet's birthday with the special cake that Sunny and Phil made. And being reunited with her best friend and the boy she loved beyond all reason made it one of the best birthdays she'd ever have. Somehow, Olaf's submarine never found the Queequeg. It may or may not have had anything to do with Fernald driving the ship far away to keep a certain someone he cared for safe no matter what it would cost him in the process…

 **~The End**

 **Bye!**


	45. Shopping

**Alternate universe; begin!**

 **~Isadora's POV**

I was at that store today shopping for birthday presents for my brothers. We're triplets and we're turning 16 soon, and mother and father insisted that we buy presents for each other. I already found a gift for Duncan, but Quigley was the hard one to buy for. He's pretty picky. I figure buying him some art supplies for making his maps would be a safe choice. I only had so long to find presents for them and get home so I could wrap and hide them. Duncan was on a date with his girlfriend Violet, and Quigley was working part time on a currently docked submarine; no idea why he had been so interested in working there. I continued looking through the shelves to see which ones would be best. But after several moments I felt someone small bump into my leg.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss! I didn't mean to do that," A little voice said.

I looked down to see a little blonde girl with her hair in a ponytail; she couldn't have been older than 2. I smiled at her, "It's alright you didn't hurt me or anything." She was surprisingly articulate for such a young girl.

"You're pretty, and you look familiar," She said.

"Thank you for saying so," I replied chuckling lightly.

"You look similar to the boy that my sister Violet is dating."

"Oh, you're Violet's little sister? Duncan told me she had two siblings."

"I'm Sunny Baudelaire!"

I shook her small hand. "Well it's nice to meet you Sunny; I'm Isadora Quagmire. Duncan is my brother."

She grinned at me, showing off her teeth, "I have a brother too."

"Sunny there you are!" We both turned to see a tall boy with glasses quickly run up to Sunny and lean down to hug her.

"Don't scare me like that! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry, Klaus, I was going to come right back."

He sighed, "Please don't wander off on your own, mother and father would kill me if I lost you."

I snickered a bit and Klaus stood back up and turned his gaze to me. I couldn't help noticing that he was actually cute... very cute…

He blushed sheepishly, "I'm sorry about my sister bothering you; she wandered off without me and I've been looking all over for her."

"She wasn't bothering me, and apparently we would have met eventually anyway. I'm Isadora Quagmire; my brother Duncan is dating your sister Violet."

He smiled shyly, "I'm Klaus Baudelaire and uh, yeah Duncan mentioned he had a sister."

Sunny giggled quietly and added, "He didn't say she'd be so pretty, huh Klaus?"

I held back laughing as poor Klaus' face went even redder at the comment. I swear I heard him mutter, "Sunny be quiet..." I happen to know for a fact that your siblings can always tell when you're interested in someone. I was there when Duncan met Violet and he was a nervous wreck, much like Klaus was here.

 _"Not like I'm one to talk, he's so cute I might be blushing too..."_

Klaus cleared his throat before saying, "It's um, nice to meet you Isadora, but Sunny and I need to get back to shopping or else our mom will get upset that we didn't finish our chore."

I giggled, "I understand."

"Thank you for keeping her in one place though so I could find her."

"You're welcome."

"I think my brother thinks you're pretty," Sunny commented.

Klaus looked embarrassed, "I do not!" He then quickly tried to correct himself by stammering, "Not that I don't think you're pretty... because you are... I just didn't say... um... Sunny let's get going; we have to get home before mom does."

He quickly grabbed Sunny's hand and started walking away with her. I was definitely blushing hard now. He called me pretty! Ok there's no way I can let this chance go, he's too adorable.

"Klaus wait!" I walked up to him and pulled my pitch black notebook out of my pocket. With a shy smile I wrote something on a page, tore it out, and handed it to him. I winked at him before walking away to continue my task.

 **~Klaus' POV**

I watched Isadora walk away as my heart was beating a mile a minute. I was sure that I had successfully embarrassed myself to the point of no return, but then I looked at the paper she gave me: it had a little poem on it.

 _I can't help but feel this meeting must be fate; you're awfully cute and I'd love to go on a date._

Under the couplet was her phone number.

Before we left the store, after getting the requested items we were here for to begin with, I bought Sunny a toy to thank her for helping me out. I'm usually completely hopeless when it comes to girls.

I never thought that my 2 year old sister would be such a great wingman.

 **~The End!**

 **Short, but hopefully cute! This is based off an OTP prompt and I thought it worked great with Kladora! Bye!**


	46. Happy Birthday Duncan

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Duncan's POV**

I stretched and tried to wake up from my deep slumber. Normally Violet is the one who wakes up first but this was a rare occasion where I did instead. I don't mind waking up early; I just have trouble doing so. I sat up in bed and looked to my side.

 _"How did I get so lucky?"_

Violet Quagmire, my beautiful wife, was resting peacefully on her side. Violet is so absolutely perfect I can't even truly describe her with words. I can try, but no matter how much I say it never feels like it does her justice. I smiled warmly at her as the sunlight coming in through the window gave her a little glow. I gently brushed her hair out of her face and she stirred from my touch.

"I see you're up early for your birthday," She said groggily smiling up at me.

I chuckled, "I can't help it; I wanted my present..."

She made an amused sound and sat up. "I guess I can give you your present early."

She then pulled back the covers a bit. "Oh, look it's already unwrapped..."

I took in the sight of her and smiled, "Just my size too..."

Needless to say, we stayed in bed for a while longer than usual this morning…

 **~Violet's POV**

I grabbed my bathrobe off the wall and covered myself before going to take a shower. Duncan had decided to stay in bed for another minute after his "birthday present" so I didn't mind. After getting dressed I let him hop in the shower and went downstairs to find our 13 year old daughter Nikki waiting in the kitchen. She smiled at me before continuing to work on her drawing. So I went over to start making some breakfast. I may not be a skilled chef like my little sister, but I can cook basic stuff so I made some fried eggs. Duncan likes my cooking anyway; if he didn't then he must be really good at lying since he always finishes his food.

"So mom, what are we doing for dad, Uncle Quigley, and Auntie Isadora's birthday?"

"Well us adults are going out for dinner tonight at Aunt Sunny and Uncle Trevor's restaurant," I replied, "But I suppose you can help me bake your father some cookies later. And then the three of us can watch movies for the rest of the night. Everyone else will be busy with their own plans."

"Can we watch Cinderella first tonight?"

"What are the magic words," I asked.

"The original; not the remake!"

I patted her head, "That's my girl!"

I felt Duncan's arm wrap around me from behind to give me a hug. He kissed my cheek and sat down next to Nikki to eat his breakfast.

"Happy birthday dad!" Nikki stood up and gave her father a hug.

"Thank you Nik," Duncan replied laughing.

 **~Later that night…**

Isadora made a little fun speech about how her brothers might be stupid sometimes, but she'll always love them. The rest of us may or may not have seen Duncan and Quigley trying to subtly wipe away their tears. And after a fun night out together we all went to our homes to celebrate in our own ways.

Duncan, Nikki, and I stayed up late eating cookies and watching some of my husband's favorite movies. Of course he had to put up with Nikki and I singing along if it was a musical. He'd totally sing along too, but mostly just wanted to hear us do it instead. Duncan loves listening to his girls sing. It was a long night but eventually Nikki went to bed.

As me and my husband went to bed that night; Duncan, being the casual pervert that he is asked, "So do I get my birthday present a second time?"

I stared at him with a neutral expression, considering his offer, before responding, "Well... it is your birthday. I don't see why not..."

He kissed me deeply and proceeded to climb on top of me. He then spoke softly in my ear, "I love you Violet."

"I love you too Duncan," I replied, "Happy birthday..."

 **~The End!**

 **They're married; they can do whatever they want. Sorry that there isn't much in this one; I just wanted a little Dunclet story today. Bye!**


	47. Game Day

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Violet's POV**

 _Run_.

That's the only thing going through my head right now is just fucking run.

I need to get away. I don't want to lose. My win streak is too high to stop now!

I quickly ducked into a new spot closer to my goal and tried to calm my rapid heartbeat. My breathing was starting to get erratic. I could hear footsteps getting closer and closer. Then the sounds stopped. I could feel myself panicking internally.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab my arm; I was so shocked I couldn't help screaming.

"Ha! I found you!"

"Ah shit! I thought I had a great hiding place!"

Klaus helped me stand up and I brushed grass off my skirt. "Your spot sucks by the way," He said.

"Oh yeah like you're one to talk, you hid under a slide when I was it."

"And you took 20 extra minutes to find me."

"Oh, shut up and I'll help you find the others."

We had the day off from classes at Whitmore so we decided to spend the day outside since the weather was rather nice. Kit and Dewey asked us to babysit little Beatrice today and she and Sunny were playing on the young kids' playground nearby. (We asked a guy friend from school named Keane to keep an eye on them as they played while we did our own thing.) So, us six teenagers, me at 15, Klaus at 13, Fiona at 16, Duncan, Quigley, and Isadora at 15 are playing a game of Hide and Seek at the local park today. As pathetic as that sounds, it was actually quite fun and we were all enjoying it.

I followed Klaus on his search for the others. The rule was if you find someone they have to help you search for everyone else, since Klaus was the seeker right now I had to help. I glanced over at the little kids' playground and nodded in satisfaction that Keane was helping Sunny and Beatrice build a sand castle in the sand pit.

For the record, Klaus hadn't originally wanted to play because he wanted to read his book... then Isadora may or may not have batted her eyelashes at him and convinced him to play because she wanted him to join us.

 _"Poor Klaus can't resist his lady's charms,"_ I thought with a smirk, _"But I can tell he's actually enjoying himself too."_

"So where should look first," Klaus asked, while pushing his glasses up his nose.

I put my hand to my chin in thought as I looked out at the rest of the park. "Let's split up, I know Isadora would probably be happier if you find her instead. Though I'd love to have the opportunity to make fun of her hiding place, it'd be better if you found her. I'll look for Duncan and if I find him then we'll work on getting Quigley and Fiona."

Klaus nodded and took a quick look a misshapen tree we'd labeled "Home Base." Nobody was there so we were in the clear for now, so the two of us went off in separate directions.

 **~Klaus' POV**

Now if I were Isadora where would I hide?

I looked damn near everywhere on this side of the park. For minutes upon minutes even. I guess since she was small she is better at hiding. (Not that I mind; personally I like that she's shorter than me cause she's so cute... _focus!_ ) But eventually I did find her hiding in a cluster of bushes by a gazebo. Thankfully, she didn't notice me and appeared too busy admiring flowers around her, probably thinking of couplets about them.

Since I may or may not have wanted to get back at her for, ahem, _talking_ me into playing this game in the first place I got down low to the ground and very slowly crept up behind her. Once I was a close enough distance I proceeded with my rather obvious attack.

I positioned my hands on both sides of her and attacked her with tickles. Isadora squealed and started giggling. She managed to squirm away from me and I simply smirked at her as she pouted at me.

"Found you," I said while chuckling.

She muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear and crossed her arms grumpily, "Not funny."

"Yeah it was actually," I said, "That's what you get for convincing me to do things by flirting."

"It's more fun when all of us play," She smiled slyly at me, "You can't tell me you're not having fun..."

I rolled my eyes, "I guess it's fun, but I'd still rather be reading my book."

I stood and brushed some dirt off my pants and reached down to help her up, "I already found Violet and she's working on finding Duncan."

"Alright let's go then. I'm sure Quigley and Fiona are probably hiding together or something."

Isadora then stood on her toes and gave me a soft kiss, "That's for agreeing to play."

I blushed; Isadora was such an affectionate girlfriend... though sometimes I think she activates my flustered side on purpose. She winked at me and led me out of the bushes while pulling me along by the hand. We then got the idea to go protect "Home Base" together while waiting for the others to be found.

Not that I wanted some alone time with her or anything... and it's not like we went behind the misshapen tree and started making out or anything…

 **~At the same time... Violet's POV**

After minutes of searching I found Duncan hiding behind a tree near a jungle gym. I felt like messing with him a little so I very carefully crept up behind him. He wasn't paying attention he had his gaze fixated on "Home Base" and I could tell he was about to make a break for it.

 _"And he thinks he's going to win; well, I can't let that happen!"_

Right as I got close enough, I pounced on him and we both fell to the ground with me on top of him.

"Found you!"

"Aw man, Violet! You scared me!" Poor Duncan was clutching his chest from shock.

I started laughing, "Sorry honey, I just wanted to surprise you."

He took a deep breath before looking me over a bit and smirking about our position. "Are you sure you didn't just want an excuse to get on top of me?"

I blushed heavily, "No you pervert!"

Nonetheless I leaned down and gave him a soft kiss before getting up. "I don't need an excuse to get on top of you..." I added.

"Now help me find your brother and his girlfriend before they reach the tree and win."

I helped him up and he looked back at our Home Base tree and smirked. "I highly doubt that Quigley or Fiona want to go near the tree now."

I looked in the direction he pointed and snickered at the sight of Klaus and Isadora now making out against the tree. "Yeah it's safe for now, but that just means we have to do the rest of the work. Did you see where they might have gone?"

"I think they went this way." Duncan grabbed my hand and started leading me in a certain direction.

We walked for some time trying to find wherever they were hiding. And after about 20 minutes of searching we actually did find them... Though I kind of wish we hadn't.

Duncan and I leaned over the park bandstand area and saw Quigley and Fiona making out behind it. We both snickered quietly.

"Guess they got distracted," Duncan whispered.

"Yeah, so how are we going to get them?"

"Hmm..." Duncan whispered the plan in my ear and I nodded.

We separated and moved to different positions behind each of them; Duncan was behind Quigley and I was behind Fiona. The two of us ever so slowly crept up behind the distracted couple. Once we were close enough, Duncan grabbed Quigley's shoulder and I grabbed Fiona's free arm. The two actually screamed in surprise and gave us unamused looks as we laughed at them.

"We got you both," Duncan said between giggles.

"That's what you get for not paying attention to the game!"

Quigley tried to fix his now even more mussed hair and Fiona adjusted her crooked glasses and smoothed out her own hair before the two stood up.

"So Klaus found you guys too," Fiona asked.

"Yeah, we should probably go stop him and Isadora from making out," Duncan said.

Quigley got a little mad about that sentence but Fiona calmed him down by grabbing his arm, "Let them have their fun, Quiggles."

Duncan and I both snickered at the pet name. Quigley went red with embarrassment while Fiona just smirked triumphantly from stopping her boyfriend from murdering my brother.

We did eventually have to stop my brother and best friend to simply tell them that it was time to end the game for the day. Of course Duncan and I teased them about it. After that we all went and got ice cream, and I made sure to buy one for Sunny too even though she prefers to just eat the cone. (Beatrice wasn't old enough for ice cream yet.)

As pathetic as it may sound, seven rounds of playing Hide and Seek was actually a really fun way to spend our Saturday.

 **~The End!**

 **Hope you liked it! Bye!**


	48. That Night

**Being totally honest in how the scene should have gone. Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"I'm surprised that a girl like you knows how to pick a lock."

"You'd be surprised how often it comes in handy," Violet looked up and noticed that Duncan was watching what she had been doing with the rope they stole, "This knot is called the Devil's Tongue; it was invented by female Finnish pirates in the 15th century."

Duncan smiled a little, "Will it hold?"

"It should," Violet replied tiredly.

To the side Sunny was making the fake glasses for Duncan's disguise, Isadora was working on her hair, and Klaus was working on the fake Sunny doll.

"If only Quigley were here," Duncan said quietly, "I know he'd be willing to dress up as a baby to help you guys."

Violet gave him a sympathetic look, "We'll do fine with what we have."

Isadora finished fixing her hair to look like Violet. She gave a nervous smile, clearly afraid of what might happen tonight, and asked, "How do I look?"

Klaus immediately looked up and hesitated before responding. "Different. Which is good; I mean not that you didn't look good before I mean you do...you did... you do look... uh Sunny how are those glasses coming," He quickly turned away a blush covering his cheeks. Isadora smiled shyly at his adorable stammering and inability to string together a sentence; her own face turning pink.

Violet and Duncan smirked at the two before turning their attention back to their tasks. They only had so much time to get this plan finished before Olaf or one of his troupe members came looking for them. It had been Duncan's idea to do this risky, dangerous plan. And unfortunately the Baudelaires had no choice but to go through with it. Duncan and Isadora were going to risk their lives tonight for them; what a brave and noble deed. Once they finished putting together the necessary items for their plan they all stood up, ready to put their plan into action.

Violet gave Duncan a sad look, "You guys can still back out now... we can find another way to pass the test."

"We want to do it. We're not just going to stand by and watch you get expelled," Duncan replied.

"You guys were the first students at this school to ever be nice to us," Isadora added.

The five of them fell silent at that. Isadora looked down quietly, wishing she hadn't spoken such an awful truth.

Violet looked at Duncan and felt a few tears sting her eyes. "If something happens- if we never see each other again-" Duncan stepped forward and interrupted her by grabbing her hand gently.

"Nothing will go wrong," He said with a reassuring smile, "I promise Izzie and I will be at the exams tomorrow."

Violet gripped his hand as if he would vanish out of existence if she let go and did something that she was scared she'd never have the chance to do again. She stood on her toes and gave him a soft kiss. Duncan Quagmire was the most perfect man she'd ever known and this might have been her only chance to do this before everything went wrong, as her insides were telling her it would. Duncan kissed back gently but also poured all his own hidden feelings into their brief romantic moment. After several moments, that felt like an eternity to the two young lovers, they pulled apart and smiled weakly at each other.

Duncan wrapped his arms around Violet in a tight hug, and spoke softly in her ear, "I hope I get another kiss like that when I do see you again."

"You mean 'if'-"

"No, I mean 'when.' Have faith in your favorite journalist, Violet," Duncan replied chuckling softly before letting go of her.

Their siblings didn't notice what had happened, Klaus and Isadora were too busy paying attention to each other, or so they thought as Sunny had noticed. The small girl tiredly watched her older siblings solemnly say good-bye to their "secret" loves.

 _"Please let them come back,"_ Sunny thought to herself; though she obviously had no way of knowing whether or not her prayers would be answered.

Klaus gave Duncan the fake set of glasses and Violet went to pick up Sunny for them to prepare to leave. It was better if the Baudelaires left first to hopefully get back to the shack undetected.

Klaus handed Isadora the completed spyglass, "Here Izzie, take it. If something goes wrong you might need a spyglass..."

Isadora smiled at him, "I don't think anything will go wrong; we'll see you Baudelaires before long." She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Klaus blushed.

As the Baudelaires started walking out of the library to go study Violet smirked at her brother.

"What was that," She asked teasingly with a soft chuckle.

"A couplet..." Klaus replied hastily.

In the library, Duncan turned to his sister with a smirk, "What was that?"

"A couplet..." Isadora said shyly, her cheeks visibly pink.

Duncan chuckled and grabbed the rope for the fake Sunny doll, "Well, Izzie, I think Klaus might want more of your 'couplets' for sure."

"Oh, shut up; I saw how you've been looking at Violet for weeks."

"How I look at Violet is my business not yours."

"Right because it's not like she's going to be my future sister-in-law or anything."

"Because you're already planning your wedding to Klaus?"

Isadora shoved him playfully, "I said shut up! Now let's just go before you embarrass me more!"

Unfortunately, none of them had known in those final moments of bliss with each other how very wrong their plan would go. But that was ok in the end... because they would find each other and they all made a vow that nothing would tear them apart again.

 **~The End**

 **Just something I put together to have a new one shot. It's not much but I wanted to do it. Bye!**


	49. You Forgot Didn't You?

**Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Fiona's POV**

I cannot believe this.

He didn't.

That bastard forgot my birthday!

I pulled a piece of cloth out of my pocket and cleaned my glasses before re-reading the note I had found on my kitchen table.

 _Sam and I are going out for the day; we'll be home before you get off work. – love Quigley_

I had woken up to find both my husband and son completely gone from the house, and this note was the only indication that they had been here at all. The rest of the family had their own work to do today but they at least still said something about my birthday when I saw them a few minutes ago. My nieces Nikki and Lizzie both gave me homemade presents too so I was fine with them. But Sam had gone with his father, to where I did not know, and seems to have not remembered either. A 13 year old boy forgets his own mother's birthday... why would that upset me? I'm only half the reason you're even alive…

I sighed and proceeded to get ready for work. Just because it's my birthday doesn't mean I get the day off.

"I'll yell at them when I get home tonight."

I may have spent the past several hours at work trying to ignore my inner rage. I damn near caused an accident when I almost mishandled some toxic spore samples for one of my coworkers. I would have been able to cure it, but it would have been a disaster.

"Happy birthday Fiona!"

I smiled and turned around to see my brother had come to see me. "Thank you Fernald. Shouldn't you be on the submarine?"

"I asked the captain for a little shore leave so I could see you. He and Phil send their birthday wishes but unfortunately he's too far offshore to visit so I took a boat."

He sat down next to me and gave me a small bag. "Here's your present."

I eagerly opened it up and found he had given me a small box of my favorite kind of cookies. I gave him a hug in return.

"Thank you, I'm glad you remembered."

"I never forgot your birthday," He replied, "I just wasn't able to send you anything most of the time because the sub was always on the move."

"I understand," I replied, "Though I do recall the first year after you left I received a stuffed bear from an anonymous source and stepfather wouldn't tell me who it was from."

Fernald smiled. "No idea... So what'd Quigley and Sam do for your special day?"

I sighed. "I woke up and found a note from them that said they would be out all day while I'm here. I think they might have forgotten."

"Is Quigley not treating you right? Cause I'll go find him and kick his ass right now if he is!"

"No! Don't do that! He's still my husband and I love him." I set my cookies on my desk before taking one out and biting into it. "It's just that sometimes my husband is a dumbass."

Fernald nodded, "That's true. Has he ever forgotten your anniversary?"

"Surprisingly no he hasn't. But I did make it easy for him because it's a week from today."

"So why would he forget your birthday then?"

I shrugged, "Not sure. He's been working late recently too. What I really can't figure out is how Sam forgot."

"That's a complete mystery. I never forgot mom's birthday no matter how old I got: December 19th."

I smiled a little as I ate my cookie. "You always were a momma's boy. If you're not busy this Mother's Day we can visit her together this year."

"I'll see to it then," He replied, "So how much longer do you have to work?"

I glanced at my clock, "My shift is just about over, why do you ask?"

He stood up, "Because I want to buy my sister a drink since her husband and my nephew are inconsiderate jerks. I mean no offense to Sam really, I love that kid to hell and back, but he's definitely in trouble for this."

I rolled my eyes, "Fernald you know I don't drink."

He shrugged, "Then order virgin, I just want to spend time with my sister. After all, it's been a long time since it was just the two of us." I raised a brow at him and gave him an unamused look.

He quickly corrected himself, "It's been a reasonable amount of time because you're not old."

"That's more like it. Alright let me finish my shift first, and these cookies and I'll drive us. I'm going to need to since I know you and stepfather both like your brandy."

After having a few drinks with my brother, I dropped him off at his hotel for the night before heading home. I only ordered virgin of course and I made sure he didn't have too much so he wouldn't hurt himself; having hooks for hands makes drinking too much twice as dangerous.

I went in the house and was immediately attacked with a hug by Sam.

"Happy birthday mom!"

I set down my bag and took off my jacket before I leaned down to hug him, "Thank you Sam, where's your father?"

He didn't answer and just grabbed my arm and pulled me into the kitchen. It was then that I noticed my son was covered in flour... that's only mildly concerning.

"Happy birthday doll!" I saw Quigley standing by the kitchen table, also covered in flour, and smiling proudly over a cake in front of him.

"Dad and I baked you a red velvet cake! Aunt Sunny taught us how to make it!"

I smiled at my two wonderful boys. They spent time working on a special cake just for me! How thoughtful. I agreed to share it with them only if they clean themselves up first; Quigley said they actually cleaned up the mess they had made in the kitchen while baking.

 **~Later that night…**

After Sam went to bed, I couldn't help asking Quigley the question that had been bothering me all day. "You forgot didn't you?"

"Of course I didn't. I just wanted to keep it a surprise. Were you worried?"

I laughed, "Yes I was! Do you have any idea what kind of horrible accident I almost caused at work because I couldn't stop wondering if my husband forgot my birthday?"

Quigley smirked, "Well I didn't, and I never will, and I think it's time for me to give you your other present."

He started kissing me affectionately and pulled me into bed with him…

 **~The End**

 **I have nothing else to say here! Bye!**


	50. Stood Up

**Based on a prompt; begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

I checked my phone for what must have been the fifth time tonight and I held back groaning at the fact that nearly 40 minutes had passed since I got here. I was sitting in a booth in a small restaurant damn near ready to just leave but I don't know if I could do that to myself.

Just a few days ago, a friend, more of an acquaintance really, from school set me up on a blind date with a male friend of hers. I don't like blind dates but I didn't have any other plans so I couldn't really get out of it. All I knew was that the guy's name was Marcus, and that he was very late. My finger twitched as I stared at the time on my phone. I contemplated calling my mom to take me home; she had dropped me off here in the first place before going to her book club and it was probably over by now. My brother Klaus was babysitting our sister Sunny, and our dad was out of town for business this weekend. So I can't call anyone else but mom if something happens.

"Hello Miss, I know I've already asked but are you ready to order now," Larry, my waiter, asked as he stopped next to me again.

I smiled politely and asked for just a bit more time. Honestly the worst part is that I was getting really hungry. I wanted to just get something and leave so I don't starve, but my stubborn pride won't let me. I tried to ignore the sad looks that the other people in the restaurant were giving me. It's like they knew what happened. Even Larry gave me an apologetic smile whenever he walked by to serve other tables. Ten more minutes passed and the guy was still not here.

It's official: I've been stood up.

I sighed quietly and grabbed my bag ready to shamefully leave but then something amazing happened. A boy my age came over and sat down in front of me.

"Sorry I'm late, the traffic was horrible!" He then quietly added, "My name's Duncan Quagmire, just go with it and I'll give you a good night. Whoever didn't bother to show up is a dick."

I felt my face grow hot at how sweet that was. "I'm Violet Baudelaire."

He gave me a very charming smile and said, "It's nice to meet you."

My face went even redder. He's really cute! Hell I'm positive he's way cuter than the guy I was supposed to be here with. Larry came by once more and took our orders, I even saw him smile at the fact that I wasn't alone anymore. Duncan and I started some pleasant conversation. He didn't know that this was supposed to be a blind date, but he seemed to figure it out pretty quick. He seemed really smart and good at observation.

"So what do you like to do?"

"I'm an inventor; it's more of a hobby though. What about you?"

"That's awesome; I've never met an inventor before. I'd love to see some of your work. I want to be a journalist someday."

"So you'd work for the _Daily Punctilio_?"

Duncan pretended to gag. "Oh god no, I hate that newspaper, all they print is misconceptions and lies. When I get older I'll find a way to print truthful articles for people."

I smiled at him, "I'd be happy to build you a printing press."

He blushed, "I'd love that..."

We kept talking even after we got our food. Duncan was nice, funny, polite, and so damn cute... Probably the cutest guy I've ever met. He even casually revealed that we go to the same school; I guess we just don't have any classes together which would explain how I've never met him before now.

"So what's your family like," I asked.

"Oh my mom's at a book club tonight, my dad is out of town for some business thing, my triplet brother Quigley is on a date with his girlfriend Fiona, and my sister Isadora is probably at home writing her poetry."

"Your sister's a poet?"

"Yep, she writes couplets though."

"My brother Klaus loves poetry, especially couplets, I'm sure they'd get along."

Duncan gave me a wary look, "Is Klaus a good guy?"

"Of course he is! He's shy around girls though; just doesn't know how to talk to them."

"Alright I suppose I'll let them hang out... but I have to meet him first. You know so I can lay out the ground rules."

"I'm assuming you're the oldest then?"

He nodded, "Older than Quigley by 5 minutes, and older than Isadora by 10 minutes. I know it seems unimportant for such a short time, but I'm still older."

We ended up talking for another hour even after finishing our food. Duncan, the absolute gentleman he was, paid for our meal, even though I tried to tell him I could do it, and gave Larry a rather nice tip. Duncan then walked me out of the restaurant and out to his car. That was the best non-planned date ever.

"So how was it," He asked, smiling at me.

"That was wonderful! Thank you so much for saving me in there! I don't even know what to say..." I was so flustered I couldn't begin to think of ways to thank him.

He ran a hand through his neat black hair nervously, "Well... if you don't think it would be a terrible idea... how about we go on a real date sometime?"

"I'd love to."

He grinned and pulled a dark green notebook out of his jacket and wrote down his phone number for me and I wrote mine in his notebook for him. He offered to drive me home and I accepted. (Purely so I wouldn't have to ask my mom to pick me up.)

Once he dropped me off at my family mansion, I looked at the little scrap of paper from his notebook that had his number on it. There was a little message with it.

 _It was nice to meet you, Violet._

I smiled to myself; it was nice to meet him.

 **~The End!**

 **Personally, I think this prompt would have worked with any of the couples, but I made it Dunclet just to have a full Dunclet one shot! I tweaked it a bit though. I hope you enjoyed it! Bye!**


	51. It's a Secret

**This might require reading How It Should Have Been but hopefully it's still understandable if you haven't; also might be a little short. Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Normal POV**

"Hey Fiona?"

"Yes Phil what is it?"

"The captain wanted me to ask you to review our security footage."

Fiona nodded, "I'll get right on it."

Phil smiled and went back to the kitchen. Fiona stood from her spot and went to a back room of the Queequeg to perform her task. It was standard policy that whenever the Queequeg had non-crew member guests they look over the submarine's security camera footage after they leave to ensure they didn't do anything unwanted during their stay. It wasn't that they didn't trust their guests; they did this for all visitors, even people they were perfectly friendly with. It was just the rules. Her stepfather had obviously tasked her with this for the very same reason. The Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets had just left Briny Beach with Kit, and the submarine was now steadily making its way to Hotel Denouement for the meeting.

Fiona sat down at a desk with a few screens on it and took a sip of her soda before sorting through the most recent tapes from yesterday.

"Let's try this one first, it looks to be the earliest," She said to herself before playing a particular one.

This tape contained a scene of Klaus and Isadora alone together in a hallway of the submarine.

 _"Remember when I wanted to say something to you when we were on the boat? Well here it is: Isadora you bring light into my life, and I hope someday you will be my wife."_

On the tape, Klaus and Isadora then started kissing, rather intimately, with Isadora pushed against a wall. Fiona couldn't help laughing at the scene.

"Damn I didn't know a nerd like him could be so bold. Isadora's a lucky girl." She turned off the tape and put a label on it before putting it aside. "I'll see if I can make a copy of that to give to her. She'd appreciate it. They're so cute together."

She went to play the next tape, not noticing that the stack was out of order. This one was a scene of Violet and Duncan talking.

 _"I don't exactly have a present to give you, but at least we can have a minute alone."_

 _"Well, I certainly can't object to that."_

As expected, Violet and Duncan started kissing passionately. Fiona laughed at the scene before stopping the tape and setting it with the previous one.

"They're adorable too," She said to herself as she labeled the tape, "I'm sure Violet would like a copy of this one."

The following tape she played had something she swore to herself she wouldn't comment on but found rather amusing anyway: it was evidence of Klaus and Isadora getting to "second base" in an empty room down in the sleeping quarters. She set the tape aside.

She took another drink of her soda as she thought about her friends. Hopefully they had made it to Hotel Denouement without fail. A special boy she was particularly fond of promised her that they would see each other again soon enough, but he had gone with them. She pushed her glasses up her nose and played the following tape in the stack. But this one was a bit different... and more special.

 _"You can't get a view like this on a mountain top. Lovely, isn't it?"_

 _"Very lovely indeed."_

Fiona stopped the tape and hugged it close to her heart. Instead of putting it with the other ones she stood from her chair and went down the hall into her bedroom. She reached under her bed and pulled out a small, waterproof, lock-box. She carefully secured the tape inside, next to a few old pictures of her and her brother. She smiled to herself, remembering how wonderful Quigley's lips had felt on hers before he left with his family.

 _"You're the only girl I want to kiss from now on."_

This tape was for her. And she would never show it to anyone.

Unless Quigley happened to find it years later…

 **~The End!**

 **Bye!**


	52. Top Secret Mission Part 1

**An alternate universe where Violet, Duncan, and Quigley joined V.F.D., I never thought I'd write this because I actually hate the idea of them joining but I thought I'd try it out anyway. This will be a 2 part story! Here's hoping it turns out well. Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"Will you volunteer for this mission, Miss Baudelaire?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Excellent," Frank said. (He had been the Denouement brother who survived the hotel fire years ago.) He handed me a file. "These are the extended details of your assignment. Your mission will have an assigned partner meet you at the rendezvous point. Duncan Quagmire will of course be overseeing the situation through your communication devices, as you requested. Good luck."

I nodded and stood from my chair and proceeded to leave the room. I took a quick glance through the file and noted where the drop off point was. It's been years since we made it back to civilization after living on the island. Upon reaching Briny Beach we reunited with the Quagmire triplets when Hector landed the hot air mobile home. I'm currently 18, I inherited my family fortune as I was always meant to, and we all live together in a big mansion just like I promised. Duncan and I have been happy together for all that time and I have a sneaky suspicion he might be considering proposing soon. (I'll gladly accept of course but I'd rather wait a while longer on the idea.)

Duncan, Quigley, and I had all joined up with V.F.D. I can't exactly tell anyone why we had made this decision but it seemed like an appropriate thing to do, for now at least. Klaus and Isadora were happy together as well, but they wanted no part of the organization. It's a good thing too because we needed them to stay home and watch Sunny and Beatrice Jr. for us. (Not to mention the two of them are still in school.) The Baudelaire fortune and the Quagmires' sapphire fortune were enough to keep our joined families supported for quite some time, since being a volunteer was a non-paid profession.

Quigley had no steady girlfriend, but with him being 18 we frequently had to scold him for waking up next to random girls he met on the town. His habits are going to get him in serious trouble one of these days. But I didn't have to worry about him today. His V.F.D. mission was out in Finite Forest; so it was just me, Duncan, and whoever my partner was this time.

"Hello gorgeous."

I smiled widely as I felt Duncan's arms wrap around my waist from behind. I turned and gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey handsome, you ready for our assignment?"

"As I'll ever be," He replied. "Is it just the two of us this time?"

"Unfortunately, no. You're driving us to the drop off point, and then I'll meet with another volunteer who's going to help me breach the villain's hideout. We'll keep you updated through our communicators."

He nodded, "Understood, and if anything goes wrong I'll go in and pull both of you out of there."

I gave him another kiss. "What would I ever do without you?"

He started chuckling, "You survived pretty well on your own for over a year after we were separated so I think you'll be fine no matter what. Come on, I've got our ride parked outside."

After several hours of driving, we arrived at the meet up location. Duncan had been lent a surveillance van to keep watch over us.

"Ok we're in position."

I double checked my gear, "And I'm ready to go."

Duncan gave me a tight hug. "Come back safely, Violet."

"I always do." We shared a deep good-bye kiss before I stepped out of the van and started walking the rest of the way to my destination.

 _"Comm-check, can you hear me Violet?"_

"Yeah I can hear you Duncan."

 _"Good, my camera is picking up a ledge across from the hideout where you can grapple across. Your partner should already be there to scout the place."_

"Got it, I'll head that way. Hey while we're talking, do you like the spandex?" I was joking, of course to make things a little lighter.

 _"Would you be mad if I said it makes you look sexy?"_

I laughed quietly, "No I don't mind. You're allowed to have those thoughts. You are my boyfriend after all."

I heard Duncan laugh before I continued onward. I reached the ledge Duncan was referring to and damn near dropped my spyglass when I saw who I was supposed to work with.

"Violet?"

"Fiona?"

It was definitely Fiona Widdershins. I never thought I'd have to see her again. She too was wearing a V.F.D. spy uniform similar to my own, her triangle-shaped glasses were still the same, she would be 19 now since she's older than me and her raven hair had gotten a bit longer since our last meeting. She had been surveying the area through her own spyglass. I guess the organization did take her back years ago, but I never figured we'd have to work together again. Well this was awkward…

"Ah... now I see why they wouldn't tell me who I was working with," Fiona said shifting uncomfortably.

"I didn't give it any thought," I replied, "So we're partners now?"

"Temporarily, I was supposed to be on shore leave for the V.F.D. Gala this weekend, stepfather insisted that I attend, but we're short on volunteers so I was asked to step in."

 _"Violet, who's your contact?"_

"Fiona, tap into my frequency, my boyfriend Duncan Quagmire is our ride out of here."

She nodded and did as told with her comm-device. She then went back to looking through her spyglass.

I talked softly into my comm-device, "Duncan, I don't know if I can do this."

 _"What's the problem?"_

"I'll spare you the details, but let's just say this girl and I aren't exactly on good terms. She betrayed me once; how am I supposed to trust her?"

"You know I can hear you right?"

I jumped at Fiona's comment. I suppose I should have guessed that she would hear me since it's nighttime and it's dead quiet out here.

We both heard Duncan laugh at that. _"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of your assignment. Fiona I don't know you, but you're a volunteer and I trust you to get Violet inside that compound. So play nice ladies, or the mission will be in serious jeopardy."_

"Thank you, Duncan, for being sincere," Fiona said.

 _"My pleasure miss, now get to it."_

"I know it's not exactly ideal, Violet, but we do need to work together for the sake of the mission. I swear on my life right now that I'll do anything you say. You have my word; you're in charge."

I looked at her. Her light blue eyes looked sincere behind her glasses and I unfortunately have to admit... she's right. We're in this together, and Duncan will be upset if I don't cooperate. This isn't about our personal history; this is about finding evidence to put a villain behind bars.

"You'll do anything I say?"

"Yes."

I considered her offer for a moment before responding, "Then we're going in together. And I already have a way for us to get across."

I reached into my bag and pulled out my homemade grappling hook. (I improved the design immensely since the last time I used one.) I looked through my spyglass once more and found an accessible area of the compound where no guards were standing. I shot my grappling hook across the chasm and it latched onto a spot on the building for us to slide down to. I handed Fiona the ropes to hold us up and the two of us rode down into the compound. We quickly unlatched ourselves from the rope and ducked behind some bushes as a couple guards passed by. Thankfully they didn't notice the rope above them.

"Duncan, we're in the compound," I spoke quietly, "Can you find us an entrance?"

 _"There's a ventilation shaft on the wall to your right. Get inside and it should take you through the whole place."_

After ensuring no more guards were approaching we made our way to the other wall. Fiona helped me open the shaft and I climbed inside first. Once she was inside with me we replaced the vent and started on what would surely be a long night of searching. Fiona had been polite and helpful so far, and she hasn't even asked about Klaus, but I'm still wary.

Hopefully, this temporary alliance is something I won't regret later…

 **~End of Chapter**

 **See you in part 2!**


	53. Top Secret Mission Part 2

**Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"Any idea what we're specifically looking for," I asked.

"Anything that can be used as incriminating evidence without arousing suspicion of the organization; we've been after this bastard for months. There have been 3 fires in the last year and we think it points to him. He's a relatively recent defector."

Fiona and I had made it out of the ventilation system and were now wandering the interior of the hideout on our quest. Every now and then a guard would come around causing us to have to hide. Duncan had informed us that an office would be the most logical place to look.

"Any kind of records of what happened would help," Fiona said softly, "Though I'm not sure if we'd find any. My mother used to say that villains were never one for paperwork. It's more of a volunteer thing."

"Believe me, I've seen enough paperwork to last a lifetime," I replied, "Let's check in here."

We headed into what appeared to be an office. Given that these were villains we were dealing with, the few books that were in here were nothing noteworthy. I even distinctly saw several books that Klaus personally hated. Lucky he's not here I suppose. I told Fiona to watch the door while I search the room.

 _"What do you see,"_ Duncan asked.

"A few files in a desk," I replied softly.

I started reading them as fast as I could. They looked authentic; perhaps they would be enough for the mission. It detailed two out of the three houses that had been set ablaze in the past year. Which means the guy in charge here could only be responsible for two of the fires. Best two out of three I suppose; evidence is evidence. I shoved the files into my supply bag and left the rest of the desk exactly as it was before. It was only a matter of time before someone-

"Hide," Fiona whisper-shouted at me.

We each quickly ducked into individual hiding places in the room and listened as a man entered. From my position, I could see his face; he was the suspect we were looking for. He reminded me of Olaf. The same smug looking face, proud of the evil plots he's accomplished; it made me sick just looking at him. He looked around the room for a moment suspiciously. I knew Duncan could see us in here with his camera equipment and I felt bad that he was probably scared half to death from our situation.

The suspect retrieved a book from the nearby shelf and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Once we couldn't hear his footsteps anymore Duncan gave us a rather disturbing piece of information.

 _"Violet, Fiona, get out of there now! The building is on fire!"_

"Shit!" I quickly checked the door, "Locked. Clever bastard!"

"Someone must have seen us come in here somehow," Fiona said.

"Or they had an inside source..." I replied sourly.

Fiona gave me a look, but didn't reply. In hindsight... that was probably uncalled for. I muttered an apology before checking my communicator for answers.

"Duncan can you tell us a way out of here? The faster, the better!"

If I wasn't panicking before I was surely going to panic now when all I heard on our comms was static.

"Duncan?!"

"Violet don't freak out, I'm sure Duncan is fine. If somebody found him he'd be able to handle himself right?"

I took a few deep breaths. "Yeah... he would..." I started tying my hair back before I continued. "We're going to need to break open that window if we want any chance of escape."

We gathered up what materials we could from the room to make a battering ram, I had hoped to never need to use one again, and used it to break open the locked window. I quickly looked through my spyglass to see the smoke rising into the night sky. Apparently the fire had been started on the opposite side of the building. Unfortunately, the only route we had was to climb along the rocky cliff below the window. I pulled some improved climbing materials out of my bag and the two of us started our dangerous climb along the wall. It was slightly under the hideout though so we couldn't be seen.

"Where are we trying to get to from here," Fiona asked.

I could only see so much in the dark but the burning building was illuminating a lot. "We can get to the front of the hideout from here; there should be a bridge that they use to get here. Once we're in the area we can climb onto the bridge and run the rest of the way to find Duncan's lookout point. Just stay close and don't look down."

"Don't have to tell me twice..." Fiona muttered.

It was about an hour into our sidling along the chasm wall that we finally heard some good news.

 _"Violet, Fiona, are you girls ok?! Please tell me you're ok!"_

"Duncan! Oh thank god you're alright! What happened?"

 _"A couple guards found me and I had to take them out."_

"Are you ok," I asked.

 _"Yeah I'm fine, the other 2 not so much now."_

"Did you kill them," Fiona asked.

 _"No no, they're just unconscious, some internal bleeding... maybe a broken rib or two... I dumped them outside, they'll be fine. Now where are you guys? You're not stuck inside right?"_

"We're climbing along the chasm wall to get around to the front of the hideout. We'll meet you when we get on the bridge," I replied, trying to calm my frantic heart.

 _"Got it, I'll be waiting."_

Unfortunately, this was a particularly long climb, about as long as when I climbed Mount Fraught with Quigley years ago; only this time we were climbing sideways instead of up and down. Every now and then I would look at Fiona to make sure she was still following me. It wasn't exactly hard to tell she wasn't comfortable with heights, most people aren't though.

We could see the building had almost completely collapsed during the blaze. Duncan informed us that most of the people who were inside had fled using their cars ahead of time. He theorized that we were found out in some manner when we got inside. Hours of climbing later we started to notice the sky getting lighter as daylight was approaching.

"Fiona, do you see the bridge yet?"

"My glasses are pretty covered in dirt at this point, but yes I can see it. And watch out in this area for-"

"Fuck!" I hadn't paid attention to the rocks slightly below me and a particularly sharp one just cut my ankle. Hard too.

"Violet!"

I tried to move further but I just ended up wincing from the pain.

"Don't try to move or you could lose your grip and fall!"

I could feel a bit of blood come out onto my clothing as I searched for some fast solution. If I tried to climb up I'd probably lose my footing and fall to a very gruesome death. But it seemed that Fiona already had a plan.

I watched as she hurried up onto the ledge above us proceeded reach down to grab my arm and pull me up onto the ledge with her. I was whining the whole time from my wound but at least I was on solid ground again. We both collapsed on the dirt, out of breath from our long climb and I was injured on the job. Duncan was going to have a fit…

Fiona reached into her pocket and proceeded to clean her glasses with a small cloth before turning to me and asking, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah... I'm fine. I'll need some help walking though. And I need a bandage or two..."

She sat up a bit and looked behind us at the crumbling structure, what was left of it at least. "Did you get what we needed?"

"I got something, it's in my bag."

"Good then we didn't technically fail I guess... even though he did get away-"

"Fiona, who cares? You just saved my life!"

She looked at me with a small smile, "Yeah of course I did... did you think I was just going to leave you there?"

"I-I didn't know what would happen... I was trying to think of how to get out of it and you just... pulled me up without even a second thought. Thank you."

"You're welcome... have I ever mentioned that situations like this are why I hate shore leave?"

We both laughed lightly at that. I saw our ride coming closer down the road when I sat up a little. I looked at Fiona and noticed something seemed to be on her mind. Her expression showed she wanted to ask a question... and based on our history I was able to guess what it was…

"The answer is yes."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"I figured it out. The answer is yes: I would have saved you if you were the one who got hurt."

She smiled, "You would have?"

"Absolutely... just because I was mad at you doesn't mean I'd just let you fall to your death. The guilt would eat me alive otherwise."

"Considering that your last words to me were 'vile, foul, heartless, evil bitch' you can't blame me for being a little worried..."

My stomach churned thinking that sentence was accurate... I wasn't even mad at her anymore in the first place, I'm pretty sure I was over it. I was just wary.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you..."

"And I'm sorry I ever gave you a reason to not trust me..."

"Then perhaps we could start over? As friends?"

She smiled brightly at that. It was nice to see her happy; it looked like she'd needed it. "I'd love to."

Fiona stood and started helping me up when we saw Duncan run over to us from the van.

"Violet, oh my god you're bleeding! Do you need to go to a hospital?!" Duncan's words then delved into a repetitive string of cursing himself as the "worst boyfriend ever" as Fiona helped me get inside the van.

As Duncan continued his ranting, even as he started driving us away, Fiona was laughing at his words.

"What on earth could you see in a dork like him?"

"He's great in bed," I replied jokingly.

"You're a woman after my own heart, Violet." I couldn't tell if she was being serious, but she probably realized I had far more reasons than that. "Wish I had a good man like him... though I prefer guys with shaggy hair; just a personal preference."

The sentence went completely over my head for a single instant until... I got an idea.

"You're still going to the V.F.D. Gala this weekend right?"

"Yes, I told you my stepfather is forcing me to go, wants me to start looking for a potential boyfriend... He has people on the inside that will know if I don't attend so I unfortunately can't just stay in my hotel room and read all night like I'd rather be doing. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious..." I said trying to sound nonchalant as I bandaged up my leg.

 **~Several days later…**

It still hurt a bit to stand for too long, but my wound had healed up enough for me to still go to the Gala with Duncan. And he was understanding when I said that I probably shouldn't dance with him tonight. He had re-done his first impression on Fiona when we met up at the party since he had been so busy worrying about my injury that he had completely forgotten to introduce himself properly to my friend. And Duncan had been kind enough to assist me in a little scheme I had planned tonight by dragging Quigley away from some female volunteers and bringing him over to where Fiona and I were sitting together and talking.

"Quigley, I wanted you to meet a friend of mine. This is Fiona."

"Oh, so you're Quigley Quagmire, I've heard of you; you're famous in the organization," Fiona said.

This cartographer was always happy to meet a pretty girl; that was a fact that everyone knew. Quigley smiled at her and started up a pleasant conversation. I smiled at the fact that they were clearly interested in each other. Duncan and I held soft conversations with each other and eventually Fiona was called away for a moment due to a phone call from her brother. Quigley sat down on Duncan's other side and turned to me with a smile.

"She's absolutely lovely, Vi! Why haven't I met her before," He asked.

"We haven't seen each other in years; that's all." I didn't feel like telling the full story yet.

"How do you know each other anyway," Duncan asked.

"Oh, she's Klaus' ex-girlfriend."

Quigley and Duncan both stared at me in complete shock.

"Your brother left that stone cold fox for our sister?!" Quigley looked as if I had just personally offended him.

"It would be more accurate to say she broke up with him."

Quigley muttered something about still yelling at Klaus when he gets home tonight anyway. Nonetheless, he had a great time with Fiona the whole night and even offered to drive her back to her hotel when the party was over. (Surprisingly he didn't stay out all night doing that like I was afraid he might. I guess Fiona has higher standards than that.) The girl saved my life the least I can do is help her get a date, right?

Though I'm not sure how I'm going to tell Klaus that his future brother-in-law and his ex-girlfriend might be getting together in the very near future…

 **~The End!**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! Bye!**


	54. Loopy

**This is a universe where Olaf was arrested during the events of Miserable Mill, and the Baudelaires have obviously been living at Prufrock ever since. In the book, the Quagmires were moved up to a dorm, not a broom closet, and here they've convinced Nero to let the Baudelaires live with them. Begin!**

 **~Klaus' POV**

It was a Saturday morning here at Prufrock, and according to the school newspaper, classes were cancelled today. (Prufrock normally doesn't have weekends) I silently thanked whatever it was that caused the day to be free, even though Sunny still had to work as Nero's secretary. Violet and I didn't like that, but our attempts to get her out of it have all failed. Nonetheless, aside from the stupid rules, the bullies, and the awful teachers, Prufrock was a damn paradise compared to living at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill. And there were two things that made it that way: Duncan and Isadora Quagmire.

Duncan is the best friend I've ever had. He's kind, supportive, funny, and intelligent. And recently, as in just a few months ago, Violet had started a relationship with him. They were taken with each other the moment they met, I could tell. Some people might wonder why I'm ok with my best friend dating my sister, but the reality is that Duncan is a completely trustworthy guy. He'd never hurt anyone, and I know Violet can take care of herself. She's the oldest she can see whoever she wants. I know our parents aren't here anymore, but they'd have loved Duncan.

Then there's his triplet sister Isadora. She's absolutely lovely... I wish I could tell her how I feel. She's so kind, perfect, and beautiful and I could go on about her for hours. She's a wonderful friend, but unfortunately that was all we were right now. I've had a huge crush on her for ages. And it was looking like it was just going to be us today because when I woke up I found a note from Violet saying that she and Duncan are spending the day together and won't be around until dinner tonight.

"Thanks for the heads up, I suppose," I said to myself before tossing the note in the trash.

After changing into some casual clothes, since not having classes means not having to wear your uniform, I went out into the living room of our shared dorm and found Isadora, still in her pajamas, curled up on the couch in a couple blankets reading a book. She looked pale, more than usual, I mean, and she was shivering a bit. She had been sick since yesterday, there's been a death plague going around the school for the past week or so, and Isadora had been unfortunate enough to catch it. I hate seeing her sick, she looks so needy and helpless, and I just want to help her however I can. She insists on keeping her distance for fear of getting me sick. (Understandable but still...)

She smiled weakly at me, "Good morning Klaus." Her voice was soft and scratchy; it broke my heart to hear her suffering.

"Good morning Izzie. How do you feel?"

"Duncan said my fever is 102 so not much better." She paused to cough before continuing. "But I wouldn't want to ruin your free day with my problems."

"Nonsense Izzie," I replied smiling to reassure her, "I don't mind spending time taking care of you."

"You're sweet, thank you... especially since my brother and my best friend decided that making out behind the bleachers on the athletic field was a better way to spend their time."

"Oh, is that where they go?"

"I caught them there one time so I assume they went there again."

"Well, if you don't mind me leaving for a bit, I'm going to go to the nurse's office and get you something for your cough."

"I'd like that..." She then went back to reading her book with a smile. I love her smile; it's my favorite smile in the world.

While I was getting cough medicine and some cough drops, just in case, I found the very humorous sight of a visibly sick Carmelita being forced to drink medicine by our stern school nurse. At least her being sick was a positive to this school plague, it meant she couldn't bother us for a while.

Once I returned to the dorm, I gave Isadora her medicine. She took it without complaint, explaining that she was the one who handled being sick the "best" out of her family. She mentioned Duncan is more cooperative but complains a lot, while their brother Quigley used to never sit still when he was sick and it always made his recovery slower. The day went about as normal for us after that, aside from the occasional request from Isadora when she needed something, the two of us sat in relative comfort reading our books, and only talking when it was necessary. I didn't want her straining her already sore throat.

The only problem is that because I was busy reading, I tend to get very into whatever I'm reading, I didn't notice Isadora taking more medicine than was necessary until it was too late.

"How much of this did you take?"

She smiled at me and replied, "A bit... did you know that boats are like planes but they're on the sea?"

I wanted to laugh at that very silly way of wording it, but I don't know if I can because the girl I have a massive crush on is hopped up on cough medicine.

"Ok I think you might need to go lie down."

"I want to be like a caterpillar. Eat a lot, sleep for a while, and wake up beautiful!"

I opted to avoid telling her that I already think she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met, because I'd rather tell her that when she's not in this condition.

She set aside her book and said, "You know... Pooh bear should just buy honey instead of taking it from the bees..."

Ok, that one I laughed at. "Izzie I think you're a little loopy."

"Well I think you're really cute!"

I felt my face grow uncomfortably hot. She thinks I'm cute!

"Um... what?"

She giggled softly and repeated her statement. As I stood there trying to process what the hell I just heard, Isadora continued spouting random statements. Most of them were her very strong opinions on certain things; one in particular was about how much she adored her Harry and Ginny ship when she reads Harry Potter, and how she likes that I look a little like Harry... I don't have green eyes though. She continued her statement with one on how she loves her Ron and Hermione ship and she doesn't care who knows it.

"Izzie I really think you should take a nap, you took too much medicine."

She ignored me. "You know I'd love to have a kitten. When we get married, can we get a kitten?"

My heart stopped. "M-Married...?"

She smiled shyly, her cheeks turned pink. "Yeah I like you Klaus. I want us to get married someday!"

Well my brain just stopped functioning. Did my crush just say she wants to marry me? Ok I'd love to ask her on a date and actually talk to her about these revelations but I can't do that while she's like this. I'm a gentleman. And a gentleman talks to a lady about these things when she's in a good state of mind for these conversations. I noticed then that she looked tired, which was good because she needed a nap.

Since Isadora is much shorter than me, she's rather easy to pick up. So I did exactly that, ignoring her mild protests, and carried her into her bedroom. I set her down on her bed and covered her with the blanket.

"There, now please do me a favor and get some rest. You need it."

She grumpily scowled at me for a moment then conceded to my demands. She got into a comfortable position under her covers and closed her eyes. I smiled in satisfaction and turned to leave the room.

"Klaus," I heard her say softly.

"Yeah Izzie?"

"Thank you for caring for me. You're such a sweet guy... it's why I like you..." She didn't say another word as she dozed off.

I felt myself blush again and I left the room, closing the door behind me. I made a silent promise to myself that I will confront Isadora about my feelings for her when she's feeling better.

But until then, I'm always happy to care for her when she needs me.

 **~The End!**

 **Nothing else to add here! Bye!**


	55. Memory Lane Part 1

**It'll be explained as it goes, begin!**

 **~Quigley's POV**

It's been 3 months since my family home was destroyed in a terrible fire. My triplet siblings were living at a school called Prufrock Prep, and I was speculated to be dead.

I'm not, obviously.

Though part of me kind of wishes I was. It'd be less boring. Perhaps I should start with why I'm not dead or with my siblings. When the fire happened, my mom shoved me in a trap door under our library and said she'd come back with my siblings. She never came back, and something heavy fell on the trap door so I couldn't get back out. After I heard the fire die down I realized I was in a secret tunnel, not a panic room, and followed the tunnel. I reached a dead end, after what I assumed was a couple hours, and all I had with me was a commonplace book that was in my pocket when I escaped. I wonder if Duncan and Isadora had theirs when they got out.

When I reached a dead end, I found a man there named Jacques Snicket. He told me he was friends with my parents, and said he'd take care of me if I go with him. I've been traveling with him ever since. He told me a little about this secret organization called V.F.D. that he's a part of, and my parents were in it too. He didn't tell me much more after that other than the basics; I think the deeper stuff is probably classified or something. He insists that I'm not an official volunteer because he doesn't have time to train me.

We travel from place to place almost weekly and he keeps me locked up in whatever we're using as a hideout at the moment. This week it's a small hotel near the city harbor. Jacques said he had a meeting here at the bar with a man called Captain Widdershins, another volunteer I suppose.

"But no I have to stay inside and die of boredom..." I said to myself as I lay back on my bed.

Being in hiding because the world thinks you're dead sucks. And the worst part is, I can't even talk to people my own age unless they're V.F.D. Jacques introduced me to his sister Kit when we stayed at Hotel Denouement for a while and I got to meet some volunteers in training there but that's about it. It's not just boring it's lonely. I haven't been able to actually make any new friends for a long time.

 _Bang bang bang_

I quickly sat up at the sound of someone trying to break open my locked door. Shit. They must be villains! And they're coming for me! They must have seen Jacques smuggle me inside!

Jacques said that if this situation happens just get out and find a volunteer to protect you. He mentioned that Captain Widdershins is, well, a submarine captain, and his sub was parked at the harbor with his crew still inside. I can hide out with them until Jacques gets back. The villains were now fumbling with the door lock giving me just enough time to grab my backpack so they don't get my stuff and I tucked my commonplace book in my jacket. I quickly opened the window and climbed out of it; thankfully our room was only on the first floor.

I looked around the harbor frantically for my destination. The area had dock workers wandering around performing their jobs but I still needed to stay out of sight, and trouble. I ran closer to the water and saw a number of small boats, some larger boats and- ah there's a submarine! It was resting on the water's surface and from my location I could see a distinctive V.F.D. symbol on its side under the gold letters that spelled its name: Queequeg. I could hear the sound of crashing coming from the hotel meaning they were tearing the place apart looking for me. With my heart racing a mile a minute, I made sure no one was around before climbing onto the submarine and frantically knocking on the hatch.

"Friend! Quigley Quagmire!" I called inside as I pounded the metal hatch.

A speaker sounded with a female talking through it. "What's the password," She asked. I couldn't help noticing her voice was quite heavenly. Damn it, Quigley, don't think about that now!

What was that phrase again? I know Jacques told me! But my brain is so panic-addled I can't think straight! I looked back at the hotel and saw two sinister looking people walk out of it, they didn't see me, but they appeared to still be searching.

"The quiet is world here!" I ended up blurting out.

Then I heard the girl start cracking up with melodious laughter. I suppose from where she's sitting the situation is hilarious…

"Did you just say the quiet is world here?" She asked between giggles.

"Yes but it doesn't matter right now just let me in, please! It's an emergency!"

I heard hear try to catch her breath and replied, "Alright, but only because it's an emergency and you almost got the password right."

I moved out of the way as the hatch opened and I quickly hopped inside on the ladder and climbed my way down into the submarine; the hatch closed automatically behind me. As I was climbing I heard a short conversation between 2 female voices. One was the younger, heavenly, voice I heard through the speaker and the other was a young adult voice.

"An emergency?"

"That's all I know."

"And you're sure we can trust him? You know the captain won't like you letting a stranger aboard if they didn't say the phrase right. Especially a boy..."

"Mari, please, it's just Quigley Quagmire. Stepfather told me he was here with Jacques Snicket, I'm sure he's trustworthy. Besides I want to meet the boy who just made my day." The younger voice giggled again.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Mari replied.

I reached the bottom of the ladder and heard footsteps coming towards me. I hadn't realized how panicked I truly was as I was now out of breath from my freak out. But at least I was safe here. Jacques said there weren't too many safe places left... in…

My thoughts trailed off. I instinctively stood up straighter and brushed my shaggy black hair out of my eyes. It's been a while, but I was in the presence of a young lady, and I fancy myself to be quite good with ladies. But this one was absolutely beautiful. And here I thought mermaids didn't exist.

She looked to be at least a year older than me, but I was slightly taller. She had shoulder length raven colored hair, slightly tan skin, and light blue eyes covered by quirky, black-rimmed, triangle-shaped, glasses. She was wearing, what I assumed, was a red Queequeg crew uniform, a uniform she filled out rather nicely, and she was smiling politely at me. I like her smile, and I'd love to see it more often.

"Hello," She said. Either she was ignoring the fact that I had been staring or she chose not to comment. I couldn't tell.

I blinked, "Oh, hi... Sorry for barging in like that. I was told to look for this submarine if I'm in danger."

"Well you're perfectly safe here," She replied, "And you also look like you're about to pass out."

I had forgotten about being tired. "Oh, yeah can I rest for a minute?"

She nodded and motioned for me to follow her. We walked through the halls to an open area that I assumed was the main deck and I sat down to catch my breath on a nearby chair. The older woman I heard talking earlier was sitting on a table in the center of the room, Mari I assumed; she stood up when we entered the area. She too was wearing a red Queequeg uniform.

"Mari, could you fetch our guest some water?"

Mari nodded and left the room. The mystery girl smiled at me again and I smiled back.

"I know the phrase is 'the world is quiet here' by the way..." I said sheepishly. "I was just in a panic. Some villains tried to break into our hotel room and I had to escape."

She made an amused sound and replied, "I understand, but it did make my day better to hear you mess it up."

Mari returned and handed me a glass of water, which I quickly downed and then thanked her for.

"You're welcome, kid," Mari said, "I'm Mariana, but you can call me Mari. And you look like hell, what happened to your hair?"

I laughed, "My hair always looks like this. I like it this way."

Mari snorted. "Ok sure..."

Mari then said something about being the ship's current cook and that she had work to attend to down in the kitchen, leaving me and the girl alone once more. I set down my backpack and stood up once I caught my breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't properly introduce myself. Quigley Quagmire." I said, smirking.

She smiled and shook my hand, "I'm Fiona Widdershins; it's nice to meet you."

"It's always nice to meet someone as beautiful as you."

I was still smirking as I leaned down and kissed the back of her hand. I got a little bit of satisfaction from watching her cheeks redden behind her glasses and she fussed a bit with the hem of her shirt.

She cleared her throat before replying. "Thank you for the compliment..."

"You're welcome, Miss Fiona."

"It's just Fiona actually; you don't need to be formal..."

I nodded, "Alright." _"Whatever you say, beautiful."_

She seemed to regain her composure and said, "Well, you're stuck here until my stepfather finishes his meeting with Jacques. Give me just a moment and I'll let them know where you are."

She walked over to a control console that appeared to be for driving the submarine, and I took the time to look at my surroundings. I heard her talk into a communicator about my location and I could hear the gruff voice of her stepfather reply. Once she finished her conversation she turned to me again.

"My stepfather says those villains who found you are wandering the area. He and Jacques will come back when it's all clear. Until then, would you like a tour?"

"I'd love one."

I followed her around the ship as she pointed out various rooms to me. Fiona said not to mind if Mari gives me attitude, the cook never means anything serious by it.

"What's this room," I asked, pointing at a specific door that wasn't open; the others were so far.

"My room," Fiona replied, "And don't even think about going in there. My stepfather would have you thrown to sharks. Only I'm allowed in my room."

I paled. "Uh... Message received."

I continued following her until we reached the ship's rather nice looking library. She showed me her personal section devoted to mycology. (I swear I knew that word, but I needed to be reminded about what it meant.) And I told her about my skills as a cartographer. The two of us spent the rest of our time in the library talking about various topics. I like talking to her; she even likes my jokes, even if a lot of them are dumb.

After a while Mari interrupted our conversation by bringing us some lunch. She informed us that the captain had called and said he was on his way back now.

"And why didn't you tell me," Fiona asked.

Mari smirked, "I didn't want to interrupt you two doing all that flirting."

I casually ignored the comment as I ate some carrot sticks, but I was smirking to myself.

"We weren't flirting Mari," Fiona insisted, blushing again.

Mari gave her a skeptical look before walking out of the library. Fiona sat back down next to me and apologized for Mari's comment. I didn't mind of course. We ate our food without saying much after that and once we were finished we heard the hatch open and I prepared myself for the scolding I was sure to get from Jacques. We made our way out to the main deck area where Mari, Jacques, and the man I guessed to be Captain Widdershins were now waiting for us.

"Quigley thank god you're ok!" Jacques said exasperatedly.

"I'm fine, Uncle Jacques. I wasn't going to let them get me."

"Aye, you were right to come aboard my ship, son," Captain Widdershins said, after introducing himself.

He seemed to casually ignore the fact that I had spent the past 2 hours alone with his stepdaughter.

"Well, Captain I'm glad your crew was able to look after him, but we'll be going now-"

"Wait!" I said interrupting my temporary guardian.

Jacques gave me a puzzled look, "What's the matter?"

I glanced at Fiona for a moment, before replying. "What if I stayed on the Queequeg for a while? You'd always know where I was and I'd be safe from villains here. And I'm a cartographer so I'm sure my skills could be useful to you." I hope I sounded convincing.

Jacques thought for a moment. "You make a valid point... but it's not up to me to decide. Captain what do you think?"

The Captain gave me a quick glance over as he considered my offer. I saw Mari smirking behind Jacques, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Fiona holding back a hopeful smile.

"Aye, I'll take him off your hands for a while."

I smiled and Jacques nodded approvingly.

"Alright, Captain, he's your responsibility, for now. I'll send for him when necessary. Do you have all your things with you, Quigley?"

I grabbed my backpack off the floor and replied, "I grabbed my stuff before I ran."

Jacques said his good-byes and left the sub, and almost immediately after Captain Widdershins started up the ship for us to leave port. Fiona showed me to an empty room I could stay in for now.

Staying on a submarine with a beautiful mycologist was way better than traveling with Jacques... even if it was only temporary.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Part 2 will be up soon!**


	56. Memory Lane Part 2

**Begin!**

 **~Mari's POV (Because why not?)**

It's nice that Fiona has a new friend, god knows she needs it. But I wasn't expecting the captain to be so ok with it. Quigley is definitely an interesting kid. I've never seen a boy with a bigger ego. And that's saying something. He brags a lot, but I think Fiona can see right through it. Guess that's why she likes him.

They spend time together daily, whether they're doing their jobs or just reading in the library. The captain appears to be oblivious, or maybe he's choosing to ignore it, I can't tell. Captain Widdershins is a weird guy, very eccentric; I don't know how Fiona puts up with him.

But as cute as they are together, they do still have to follow the rules. V.F.D. doesn't have any kind of workers handbook or anything of the sort but there are certain regulations that we are taught anyway and are expected to remember. One of which is that flirting with other volunteers while on a mission is frowned upon, but unless there's a volunteer with authority around there's no real way to enforce such a rule. And with these two teenagers: enforcing it was quite hard. They sort of blurred the line between flirting and not flirting. True the captain can't see it to call them out on it, but I can see it clear as day. But I'm also not a snitch.

Quigley is nice to have around though, not just for Fiona's sake, it's because he's a fun guy. He gets along fine with the captain too. I was cleaning up the kitchen when I overheard the two kids arguing about the existence of mermaids.

 **~Fiona's POV**

"So you're telling me that mermaids aren't real?"

"That's right."

"But how would you know for sure?"

"I would have seen one of course."

"But what if they're like invisible to the untrained eye. Like you need to know what to look for! There could be a specific marine oddity you'd have to stumble upon to discover mermaids!"

I laughed at his strange logic. "You're the only oddity here, Quiggles."

He scowled at my choice of nickname for him. "Don't call me that! It's not a cool name!"

"I'll call you whatever I want," I replied.

"Well you could have picked a cool name!"

"Nah, I like Quiggles better."

Quigley grumpily pouted at me and conceded to my decision. I bet it's all an act and he secretly likes it.

"Alright, doll, but I still think you're lying about the mermaids..."

"Oh my god Quigley, I'm not lying." _"Did he just call me Doll? I don't mind, but that's new..."_

He shrugged, "I just wanted to meet a mermaid that's all! I like to share my awesomeness with all girls."

That comment irritated me. Why does that comment irritate me?

"You certainly talk yourself up a lot..."

He smiled. Damn his smile. "Because I'm awesome that's why." He leaned against the table behind him as he continued. "Quigley Quagmire is a gift to the world, and I like to share that gift."

"You do have an unusual amount of confidence."

He tilted his head in confusion, "So?"

"If you ask me, it seems fake."

"What?"

"Hmm... You have an ego bigger than Jupiter, you're arrogant, and your over confidence has probably gotten you in trouble in the past. It's all a ruse, isn't it? I think you tell everyone you're the greatest thing on earth to hide your very low opinion of yourself."

Quigley stared at me with his wide green eyes and didn't reply so I continued.

"Your false confidence gets you girls, and they give you comfort, but what you really want is someone who will love you despite your flaws. Have I got it right?"

Again, he didn't respond. He just stood there staring at me as if I had said something insane.

I smirked a little at his speechlessness, "Cat got your tongue? Or are you just not going to answer me?"

He finally broke eye contact with me and sheepishly said, "You know things... you're pretty smart."

"I read, a lot," I replied modestly, "I live on a submarine, not much to do but read."

With that I turned around and went back to reading my maps. We did have jobs to do after all, and Quigley's questioning me about things I've seen in the ocean was distracting. While I was working I heard my stepfather call Quigley to another room for his own assigned tasks.

"That was quite a conversation you had."

I looked up to see Mari had joined me. She was leaning against the wall and smirking.

I pushed my glasses up my nose and replied, "It was definitely something alright. You heard all that?"

"If you don't mind my unintentional eavesdropping; where did you learn psychology?"

"Like I said, I read a lot. Our library is made up of all sorts of books, and I've read almost all of them."

Mari nodded. "I understand... and his comments about dating other girls are fascinating. Do they bother you?"

"Why would that bother me? It's not like he said he's still with any of them. He told me he hadn't dated anyone in the weeks before his house fire."

Mari was giving me a skeptical look. Why should I care who Quigley has dated? I've only known him for a couple weeks so far. We're still getting to know each other. Mari is usually very forward, she's friendly enough with me and professional enough with my stepfather to keep her job. She's not usually one to beat around the bush.

"Why are you looking at me like that," I finally asked.

She stared curiously at me for a moment with the same skeptical look before smiling. "You like him."

"I do not."

She snorted. "Yeah you do."

"Mari you're going to get me in trouble," I replied quietly.

Stepfather doesn't really approve of me trying to meet boys. Not that he thinks I shouldn't ever; it's just distracting from volunteer work.

"I'm just being honest, which is something you should try doing with yourself. You like him."

I sighed, "Mari, I don't like Quigley. At least not the way you're thinking. He's nice and all, but he's a bit too conceited and less than intelligent for my taste."

"Fine... by the way I noticed you've started parting your hair differently. I think Quigley likes it because he can't stop staring at you when you're around."

Ok now my face felt uncomfortably hot. "What I do with my appearance is my business."

Mari rolled her eyes and turned to leave, and I heard her softly chanting a tiresome rhyme about me and Quigley which I won't dare repeat. I'll admit Mari can be a little jerk-ish sometimes, but that was a new low.

 _"I don't like him."_

 _"I don't."_

 _"He is nice... I guess he's kind of cute. If I take off my glasses and squint hard enough..."_

 _"Damn it; do your job or you'll get in trouble."_

 _"I don't know why Mari scoffed at Quigley liking his hairstyle. I think it's rather charming in a roguish sort of way. Why am I still thinking about this?"_

 _"Dates a lot of girls... I wouldn't ever be one of them. I'm not pretty enough."_

 _"I wonder if he was really staring when I changed my hairstyle... which I absolutely did not do for him. If he likes it fine but I didn't do it to please him! That's just absurd!"_

 _"I don't like him that way. There now keep repeating it to yourself in your head and it might end up being true..."_

 **~Quigley's POV**

No girl has talked to me like that before! I don't even know what to say to her now! How am I supposed to tell her she's amazing and I like her? I'm not the dumbest guy on earth, but I am definitely not smart enough for her. A girl like that needs a guy with a brain to match his good looks. I'm all looks and only partly brains. She might be my toughest challenge yet.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Who the hell am I kidding? She's not a challenge. She's a goddess. Fiona is perfect. I love girls with brains and I've never met one with more than her. She could have an intelligent conversation with anyone, even me. But she's not just brains, she's also gorgeous, though she seems to be one of those girls who doesn't realize she's pretty.

What number was I on before the fire? 15? Yeah... well it's about to be 16 and I think that's a good number to stop on.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Mari is so unintentionally evil... I love it. See you in the next part!**


	57. Memory Lane Part 3

**Begin!**

 **~Fiona's POV**

I eagerly ran into Quigley's room to wake him up and tell him the good news. My stepfather is always up bright and early so I've learned to be the same way over time. Quigley however, has to be woken up most days by either me or Mari. He's happier when it's me though because Mari likes to pour water on his head to wake him up.

"Quigley! Quigley wake up!"

He rolled over and pushed his hair out of his eyes to stare up at me with confusion. "What is it?"

"We're getting a little shore leave!"

"What's shore leave?"

I rolled my eyes. "It means we get to leave the submarine for a while, silly! Now hurry up and get dressed. We're almost there already!" I also added that he could wear something casual instead of his uniform because we'd be leaving soon.

He smiled and got out of bed as I quickly left the room so he could change and so I could gather my things for our short trip. Once Quigley was dressed, he joined me in the library where I was picking out a couple books to take with me.

"So where are we going," Quigley asked rubbing his eyes.

"Every once in a while, the Queequeg stops for maintenance on a V.F.D. owned island far off the coast. It's normally a training facility for new volunteers so there are a lot of people our age around. But it's really nice resort too. My stepfather says he has a meeting with another volunteer named Gustav so he's letting us have a few days at the resort while he works. Mari was trained there, so she knows the place too."

"So they don't train people at the Mortmain Mountains headquarters? Jacques never took me there."

I laughed, "We wouldn't be a very smart organization if we only trained people in one place! I've been to the headquarters a few times; it's mostly a base of operations. We train volunteers wherever we can."

Quigley nodded. "Understandable, so who's Gustav?"

"Gustav Sebald is Dr. Montgomery's assistant," I explained, "He's friends with Jacqueline, the heiress to the Duchess of Winnipeg."

He smiled, "Well I'd love it if you could show me around when we get there."

"I'd be happy to," I replied smiling back at him.

"Get a room."

"Oh my god Mari," I replied looking at the doorway at my friend who was smirking at us. "Leave us alone!"

Mari chuckled evilly, "Whatever you say, boss."

Quigley seemed to find her comment amusing because he was clearly trying not to laugh.

"I don't like him that way. I've been repeating it to myself in my head for just over 2 months now and I have to say... it's working very slowly."

We left the Queequeg parked in the docks with a few other V.F.D. submarines and boats and Quigley followed me as I showed him around the area. Once my stepfather found us the rooms we were going to stay in, we ended up finding Gustav waiting for us in the resort.

He walked first to Quigley and handed him a bag, explaining that it was a gift from Jacques in case Quigley needed some extra clothes.

"Oh well thank you," Quigley replied, "Tell Jacques I said thank you too when you see him again."

Gustav nodded, "You're welcome. It's nice to know he cares about you. Now if you kids will excuse us, the captain and I have some urgent matters to discuss."

"Aye, that we do," My stepfather replied. "Fiona, make sure Quigley stays out of trouble."

I grabbed Quigley's arm and pulled him away as the two started talking business and recent events in the organization.

"What was that about? Gustav looked grim... like somebody just died."

"His telegram said somebody did, unfortunately; but it didn't have many details. I assume he wanted to talk about it in person. We've lost a lot of good people recently. But we're still in training, or at least I am, so we can't be too involved yet."

"I guess adults always have those kinds of conversations, huh?"

I nodded. "That's right, and it won't stop anytime soon. But for now it's best to focus on staying out of trouble."

~Later that night... Quigley's POV

It's nice to be out of the submarine for a couple days. Fiona wasn't kidding when she said this place was nice. There's a ton of kid volunteers here as well, and a few of them even recognized me because I look like my brother and sister. (Guess they read the newspapers about what happened.) I was sitting in my hotel room reading a book that I had been lent from the local library.

 _Knock knock_

That is until I was interrupted by someone at my door. I was prepared to get annoyed at whoever it was for interrupting my reading but when I opened my door all the words I had planned left me.

There are some things in this world that you can't help staring at for a while. And the sight of Fiona standing before me in a simple, short, but also elegant, strapped dark red dress was one of them.

"Quigley?"

I blinked and snapped out of my trance and smiled back at her. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," She replied, "There's a place downstairs that's a sort of club area for people who aren't old enough to drink and I wanted to know if you'd come with me."

"You don't seem the type."

"Alright if you don't want to come that's fine too. It'll be lonely without someone to talk to though..." She smirked and turned to leave but I quickly called out to her.

"Wait! I didn't say no! Uh, just give me a minute to get ready first."

She was still smirking at me as she replied, "You'd better not hesitate then."

I closed the door and went over to the bag that Gustav had given me. He said it was from Jacques so maybe there's something in here that's semi-formal enough for where we're going. After all, she got all dressed up like that for me... it'd be rude to not return the favor. I searched through it for a minute before finding a note on top of a specific set of clothes.

 _Gustav told me where you'd be; you'll need this to get into the club. I hope they fit._

 _-Jacques_

I smiled. Thank you Jacques!

The outfit he gave me was a black jacket, with a white button-up shirt, and some black pants. I already know I look good, but I looked even better wearing it.

"And Duncan thinks he's the better looking one. Yeah right..."

After making a short attempt to tame my hair, I eventually gave up, I opened the door and found Fiona waiting patiently in the hall for me. She smiled at me, I wonder if she liked my outfit because she didn't comment, and we walked off to wherever it was we were spending our evening.

As it turned out there was a reason why we had to dress up: the place was black-tie required. I guess it's because we're all made up of kids from wealthy families so it's expected. The place was already full of other people, ranging around our ages. I asked if it was alright to wander and Fiona didn't mind. It's not like we were technically here together. I watched her leave and get a drink as I walked around the place.

I was approached by a few people who recognized my face once more and they asked me a couple questions about my family. The thing is... the people who approached me were mostly girls. They're very pretty, and I can tell they think I'm something to look at too. But I couldn't take up their eventual offers for a date. Once I rejected them, I gladly went to join Fiona at the bar where she was drinking root beer. She pushed her glasses up her nose and glanced warily at the girls I had just been talking to, who were now looking at her with jealousy.

"The view here is quite interesting," She said after a moment.

I glanced at the girls, understanding what she meant, but then I looked at her once more and smiled.

"Perhaps... but I like the view in front of me much better."

Good, that made her smile, I love her smile; she also blushed a shade darker than her dress color. "You're lucky we're alone or else you'd get in trouble for saying that..."

I shrugged and ordered a root beer for myself. "I don't mind getting in a little trouble every now and then."

"You're a real piece of work aren't you, Quiggles?"

"Don't call me that in public," I said hurriedly.

Honestly, it's a dumb name but I kind of like it. But only if she says it! If anybody else called me that I'd punch them... And I'll never tell her I like it either. That'd be a disaster.

Fiona laughed at me trying to shut her up, "Ok I won't do it in public, but to be fair nobody heard me."

I sighed in relief, "Thanks, doll."

She doesn't seem to mind when I call her that. We drank our root beer and talked about various things for the rest of the time while other people partied around us. She explained that she comes here because of her limited shore leave. She doesn't care much for parties, but she likes to "get out of the house" so to speak. I'm more extroverted than her though so I like both sides. But sitting with her and talking, rather than meeting other people, is a much better way to spend my evening than reading a book. (I can always get back to it later anyway...) She even told me she has an older brother that doesn't live with them anymore, and in return I told her about my siblings that I miss as well, technically I'm the middle child though.

After what appeared to be an hour of talking, Fiona asked if we could step outside to finally get away from the girls who had still been giving her nasty looks behind my back. I agreed, since I wanted to prove to them that I wasn't interested, and she happily took my arm and led me outside onto the balcony; the place was on the second floor of the resort.

"That's much better," She said leaning against the railing. "I'm not used to having girls be jealous of me. I'm not sure why they are though."

"They're just bitches," I replied, she doesn't care about swearing since she was allowed to do it herself. "They're not worth paying any mind."

"Have you ever dated a girl who acted like them?"

"Yes and I regretted it," I said. "I've been with a lot of girls since I started dating, and those kinds are the worst. I've been trying to change though."

She raised a brow at me so I continued.

"I want to find a special girl," I explained, "Someone intelligent... fun... likes to read... someone who laughs at my jokes even if they're dumb... someone just perfect."

"You'll have a very difficult search then," Fiona replied, "Nobody's perfect."

I smiled, "Doesn't mean I can't still look."

She smiled at that and we fell in a short, but comfortable silence staring out at the view of the ocean from our location. The sun had gone down long ago and the moon was out.

"I like coming out here whenever we stay. The view out here is lovely, isn't it?"

"Very lovely indeed."

I wasn't looking at the view. And she soon realized that and even in the dark I could tell she was blushing again.

She looked at me after a minute and smiled softly. "Me?"

"Yeah... you. Fiona, I think you're lovely. And nothing would make me happier than for us to be together." I reached over and grabbed her hand gently.

Her smile faltered slightly. "And why would you want me? You could have any girl you wanted. Or am I just another number to you?"

"You're not just another number to me," I replied, sincerely.

I wasn't shocked that she would assume such a thing. With the way I act it's to be expected that she would jump to that conclusion. But rather than press me further on the matter she laced our fingers together and gripped me hand tightly as her smile returned.

That was the night we had our first kiss. And it began the start of our 8 month official relationship.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **See you in the next part! Yay for actual romance this time!**


	58. Memory Lane Part 4

**Begin!**

 **~Quigley's POV**

I spent 10 months total on the Queequeg and 8 of that was in an official relationship with Fiona. She's the best thing to happen to me since I lost my parents. I can't wait to be reunited with my siblings so I can introduce them. I'm sure they'll love her.

At first we didn't know how to tell her stepdad what we were up to. So we would hide our romantic interactions from him until we could figure something out. Anywhere remotely private we could find on the ship was where we could usually be found when we weren't doing assigned jobs.

And this worked for the first month... until…

Fiona and I were in the library together one day, and after some time spent talking we, of course, ended up kissing. It wasn't a heavy make out, but it could have gone that far. She was happily sitting on a table while my hands were at her waist as we kissed.

"Ahem."

The two of us quickly pulled apart at the sound of Mari clearing her throat. Fiona looked extremely embarrassed and ashamed. Mari was smirking at us, she usually did. I felt all the color drain from my face as I realized how much trouble I was going to be in.

"So you are..." Mari left the question open for us to finish.

Fiona didn't say anything, but she did nod after a moment. Mari looked between us as I felt my heart trying to break out of my rib-cage in fear of my punishment.

"Please don't tell my stepfather..." Fiona pleaded.

Mari sighed. "You're lucky I like you kids. Your secret is safe with me. But you know flirting with other volunteers is frowned upon while on duty."

I finally spoke up, "Can I make an argument?"

Mari nodded so I continued.

"We weren't flirting, we were kissing."

I grinned in triumph for that insane logic leap. After all, I'm pretty sure we'd spent the past 2 months flirting openly before confessing our feelings. It was frowned upon, sure, but there's really no way to enforce it.

Mari started chuckling. "Ok you win. I'm happy for you two. Carry on... but uh don't let the captain see you in that position because I don't think he'll be as forgiving." She left.

Fiona smiled at me, "That was surprisingly smart."

"I have my moments! Though I can't help thinking you deserve someone way smarter than me..."

Her smile faded a bit, "Well you deserve someone way more beautiful than me..."

That comment irritated me. I know I'm not as smart as my brother, he's the one who has most of the brains between us, but I can't see why she thinks she's not attractive enough for me.

I smiled and brushed some hair out of her face, "But you are beautiful. Breathtaking actually! But I like you for your personality, not just your bewitching good looks."

"Well what if I don't care that you're not that smart? Sure I could have found someone on my level, but that'd be kind of boring, wouldn't it? I like you just the way you are. Now can you stop trying to read my mycology books? You don't need to try to understand my interests to impress me."

"Good because I can't understand a lot of the words in them!"

After the third month of being together we were eventually caught by her stepdad. (Thankfully it wasn't a super heavy make out session... that would have gotten me killed...)

Though his reaction was much tamer than I was expecting, he was fine with it. He saw us together and simply told us to get back to work. Of course I was later pulled aside by him and he made a very soft threat about "if you ever hurt her..." and that was all he said. I assume Fiona wasn't kidding about the possibility of him doing something horrible to me if I went over the line. I knew the line and I was not going to cross it!

I've already died once... I don't want to do it for real…

After the fourth month, something else happened. My dark purple commonplace book got ruined by me, accidentally. I knocked over my soda while I was working on my maps. Fiona said that they had plenty of spares stocked up and let me go pick out a new one. I was a little upset because that notebook was a gift from my parents. It was one of the few things I had left of them besides my own appearance.

Though to be fair, I hadn't originally wanted the purple one. The day our parents got us our notebooks they were very limited in supply for some reason and the only colors to choose from were dark green, pitch black, and dark purple. Duncan chose the dark green one; it's his favorite color. Our parents thought that Isadora would take the purple one, but she asked if it was ok for her to have the black one instead, so I took the purple because I didn't want my sister to be disappointed. I didn't mind that much at the time, but some people did think it was weird for a boy to have such a colored notebook.

Mari showed me the closet where they keep extra supplies and sure enough there were plenty of notebooks to choose from. I grabbed a red one without a second thought.

Mari gave me a confused look. "You don't want one that looks the same?"

I blinked and thought about it for a moment before smiling at her. "I like this one better; I've been meaning to get a new one anyway."

Mari didn't reply, but a little gleam in her eyes made me think that she understood exactly what I meant.

After the fifth month, I started receiving telegrams from Jacques with updates on how my siblings were doing at Prufrock. He told me he wasn't able to interfere because of his volunteer work keeping him busy, but they weren't having such a great time on their own.

Hearing about how cruel Prufrock is to orphans didn't help me feel better about the fact that it'd probably be years before I see Duncan and Isadora again. It was awful not having them around... mom and dad always said we would never truly be apart no matter what. Especially mom, she's probably up there screaming down at us for having to keep our distance for now. We were a miracle for her; seeing her babies separated was something she'd had never stood for.

I told Fiona about these worries and she helped comfort me. She knows how it feels to not see a sibling you love for a long time. She misses her brother as much as I miss my siblings. Only in her case, her brother was alive, or if he isn't then she doesn't know, while to my siblings I'm a ghost. But Fiona was here to help, and that did make it better. She was my lovely therapist and I practically worshipped the ground she walked on.

I wanted to stay with her forever... but that's not how this story goes.

 **~The tenth month…**

Fiona and I were reading together in the library again with our downtime when it happened. Mari ran into the room breathing erratically and looking panicked as hell.

"The comm lines are going crazy! There's been another fire!"

Fiona and I quickly dropped our books and rushed out to the main deck where the captain was watching the telegraph machine closely as it prepared to print out several Volunteer Factual Dispatches at once.

I know it was probably selfish to say but all that was going through my mind when I heard those horrible words was: _"Please don't be Prufrock... Please don't be Prufrock..."_

"Do we know who was hit," Mari asked instantly.

"Aye I've got a direct line to Kit Snicket herself," The captain replied solemnly. "She's working on details."

Right as he said that a number of telegrams printed out and he read them instantly for us.

"The Baudelaires," He read softly.

For once, I saw the captain pause. I've spent enough time on this ship to know that Captain Widdershins is the kind of man who doesn't stop for almost any reason. So seeing him stop reading so abruptly was enough for me to understand that these people had been dear friends.

"Were there any survivors," Fiona asked worriedly. I put my arm around her waist to give her comfort.

Her stepfather nodded, "Their children were spared; all three of them. Kit says she's trying to contact her brother to give him the bad news."

He sighed heavily before continuing. "We lost Quinten and Karen... then Isaac Anwhistle gets eaten by leeches, his death was no accident, and our most fierce and formidable agent falls into disrepair from grief, and now we've lost Bertrand and Beatrice too? Our enemies are tougher than we thought..."

"So you knew the Baudelaires," I said quizzically.

"Aye... Bertrand and Quinten were best friends. You'd have thought they were brothers; they were inseparable growing up. The Baudelaires left the organization 14 years ago because they had their first child. They stayed in contact with Quinten and Karen for a couple years after that but your parents were still involved with us, even after having you. Things got dangerous so they ceased contact."

The four of us watched as the telegraph continued printing out reports on the Baudelaire fire. While this happened I saw Captain Widdershins stroking his mustache and mumbling something to himself. He said a soft plea to Fiona's mother, Samantha, to watch over their old associates. I don't know if Fiona heard him, but she was probably thinking the same thing since she mentioned having gotten to meet the Baudelaires when she was a baby.

Once the telegrams finished printing, the captain handed a specific one to me; it was from Jacques. I let go of Fiona and she and Mari went to make something to calm us down. I instantly regretted reading the paper I was given.

 _Quigley, pack your things and tell the captain to drop you off at the harbor tomorrow morning. I need an extra set of eyes for my investigation. I'll be waiting in my taxi._

 _-Jacques_

I felt like ripping the paper in half. But Jacques is my guardian... and I have to do as he says. I knew staying here was only temporary from the start. If Jacques needs me now then who am I to argue? I showed the paper to the captain and he agreed to do it. Fiona and Mari came back after a while with some warm drinks to keep us calm in this dire situation. The first rule of being a volunteer is to never freak out when there's a fire, even if you weren't there to see it.

All I could do was look at Fiona and think about how hard this was going to be.

Once the submarine started making its way to my Vigorously Fixed Destination, I took Fiona into the library with me once more so we could talk.

"I suppose the easiest way to start this would be to show you this." I handed her the telegram.

She read it then looked at me with sad but understanding eyes. "So you have to go?"

"Yes and I wish I didn't but... I do... I'm so sorry Fiona."

She responded by giving me a tight hug. "It's important, I know that, and so do you. The world is falling apart as it is, that's why we have to do our part. If Jacques needs you why should I be selfish and try to stop you from going?"

"Because I love you and I don't want to go," I blurted out.

"I love you too, but if you go then you could be with your siblings again."

"You're right but... what if something happens to me out there? And I never see you again? You'd have no way of knowing."

She smiled softly, "I have faith in you. I mean they already tried to kill you once. And from where I'm standing it didn't work very well."

I couldn't help smiling at that. "Always making me feel better, that's what I love about you."

She gave me a soft kiss before saying the words I knew would come up in this situation.

"So are we going to break up now?"

"That's... um... it would be logical but I... I don't want to."

"Neither do I, Quigley, but why stay together if we're not physically together?"

"It's not that," I replied, "It's because I don't want to break up with you. It's not a matter of whether or not we're physically together it's that I want to keep you as my girlfriend no matter what. So unless you're going to break it off, you're stuck with me, doll."

"Well Quiggles we're stuck together then, because I don't want to end this either. Promise me you won't fall for any land girls while you're gone?"

"I'm not a cheater. You can trust me completely."

"...Can I also ask you a favor?"

"Of course."

She reached into her uniform pocket and handed me a small picture of her and her brother. It was an old picture, in it Fiona looked to be about 6 while Fernald was 19. It was obvious they were related, the two not only had the same facial features from their biological parents but they also had the same kind, caring eyes; except Fernald's were a different color from his sister's.

"Keep that one for now, I've got others, but I want you to just... if you find him please give him a message for me. Just tell him I really miss him."

I tucked the photo away in my commonplace book for safe keeping. "I'll do it if I can, but he won't know me."

"Just say my name and he'll listen to you, I promise. Fernald is a good man. He won't hurt anyone unless they try to hurt me."

I nodded, "If I find him. I'll pass it on. It might not change anything but at least he'll know you still care."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. If my stepfather knew what I just asked you to do he'd be livid."

"Then it's our little secret... I should uh go pack up my things..."

 **~Later that night…**

The captain said we'd reach port by noon tomorrow. I checked over twice to make sure I had everything.

"Ready?"

I looked at the doorway and saw Fiona watching me.

"Yeah I got everything. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I was about to do that... but I had an idea."

"And what's that?"

She stepped towards me and grabbed my hand. "Want to stay in my room tonight?"

"I'd rather live thank you," I replied.

"I'm serious... my door is always closed and if this is our last night together for what could be a long time I want to spend it with you."

I thought about it. Ok weigh the options: 1. You get to cuddle with your girlfriend for one night before you possibly never see each other again. 2. You get caught in her room cuddling your girlfriend, get thrown overboard, and definitely never see each other again.

 _"But either way... cuddling with your girlfriend,"_ I reasoned with myself internally.

So of course I said yes. Fiona made sure the hallway was clear before leading me to her room. It was the one place on the ship I had never been in because I wasn't allowed. And inside it looked like most every other room on the ship aside from a few personalizations here and there. She also had a nicer looking bed than the ones in the barracks. We made sure no one had seen us both enter the room and shut the door behind us. She went into a side door and came out minutes later in some night clothes and set her glasses gently on her bedside table. We got into bed together and fell asleep with her under my arm.

It was a peaceful night; the kind that I hoped to be able to have again soon.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Wanted to make this a nice long part, and there will be more, don't worry!**


	59. Memory Lane Part 5

**Begin!**

 **~Quigley's POV**

I got into Jacques' taxi and gave him a solemn smile. It was nice to see him again, but all I could think about right now was the submarine that just left port to continue its V.F.D. work without me.

"So where are we going first," I asked after he started up the car.

"We're going to start at the Baudelaire mansion. I have a theory on who did it, but we need to investigate further."

"So Kit told you what happened then? Captain Widdershins said she was trying to contact you about the news."

"She didn't need to contact me; I already heard," Jacques replied, "It was our brother she was trying to reach. He's in hiding and the news of the Baudelaire fire is something he would need to hear."

I gave him a puzzled look, "Why him?"

"It's a long story," He replied, "And not one you need to concern yourself with."

I nodded in understanding and fell quiet for the rest of the car ride. Every now and then Jacques would look at me through the rear view mirror. I assume he figured out what my problem was.

"I'm sorry," He said gently. "Miss Widdershins is a very lovely girl; I've known her for years. I could see you were happy together. I'm sure you'll see each other again someday."

We started at the ruins of the Baudelaire mansion. It was a truly sorrowful sight. Jacques was looking around for anything that might have been a clue or lead, but arson usually doesn't leave much evidence, if any at all. I found a strange clock that had been turned into a toaster and chuckled at the idea that someone would ever need such a combination of things.

"Well, it doesn't look like we're going to find anything here," Jacques said after an hour.

He took me to his most recent hideout choice, a small apartment, and I listened while he had a phone conversation with his associate Jacqueline about the situation. Apparently the safety of the Baudelaires was a concern for some reason; the safety of everyone is a concern to be honest. I heard the name Count Olaf mentioned a few times, but Jacques wasn't keen on sharing details quite yet because he kept his voice down during those parts. I sat down on my bed and pulled out my commonplace book and looked inside. Most pages were my notes on V.F.D. and my maps, but I stopped on a particular page.

Attached to the page were two pictures. One was the picture Fiona gave me to identify her brother with, just in case. And the other was a picture of me and Fiona taken earlier today. I wanted it so I would have her with me in some way, and she agreed. She took a copy for herself too. I stared at the picture for a minute thinking about how much I already miss her.

"What happened to your commonplace book?"

Jacques had noticed the altered color from the last time we were together. I smiled at the newer design.

"I accidentally ruined my old one. And I like this color better anyway."

He nodded in understanding. He then explained a few more things about V.F.D. to help me along in our situation. He told me the secret passage to the headquarters, and how to get into the Vernacularly Fastened Door; both of which I noted in my notebook for future reference just in case. He told me about an evil man named Count Olaf who was a dangerous enemy of the organization. He didn't tell me much about why he was a problem, but I assume details could come later if they were necessary. Right now all I needed to know was that he was dangerous and I need to avoid him.

And for the next many days, Jacques would come and go on his investigation. Tonight he'd bring Jacqueline and Gustav over to talk business late at night while they thought I was asleep. After 6 days of living with a non-agent, the Baudelaires were apparently supposed to go to Dr. Montgomery's house to live permanently. But it's been 8 days after those first 6 and they still hadn't shown up.

"They were supposed to come to us days ago," Gustav almost shouted in frustration, "What happened, Jacqueline. You're Poe's secretary!"

"He had his henchman tie me up so I couldn't stop him," Jacqueline replied. "You helped me out of there, you know that! The problem is Mr. Poe listened to a consultant."

"A consultant dear god when will they learn," Gustav replied in shock.

"So where are they now," Jacques asked.

"Apparently, Olaf apprehended their papers and he's been keeping them with him. But that's not even the worst part. He's putting on a new play."

I overheard them talking about Olaf trying a horrible scheme to legally marry Violet Baudelaire, the oldest of the three kids. What a fucked up idea. Isn't she like my age?

"Jacques, get to Hotel Denouement, Kit needs details on what's happening. Gustav and I will handle Olaf at the performance on Friday."

"I've needed to see my sister for some time," Jacques said, "She's in her second trimester and I hate the idea of her still working in her condition."

"Kit is pregnant," Gustav said quizzically, "Well you being an uncle is a spot of good news."

"Indeed it is. Is there any other positive news we can share before we disband this meeting?"

"After we lost Ike, I had Larry take up a position on Damocles Dock to watch over poor Josephine," Gustav replied.

"Larry? Where's he stationed," Jacqueline asked. She sounded concerned; she and whoever Larry is must be close.

"Relax; he's stationed at the Anxious Clown restaurant. Your boyfriend is perfectly safe there," Gustav said reassuringly.

I heard Jacqueline breathe a sigh of relief for her significant other.

 _"I know how it feels, miss,"_ I thought solemnly; as my significant other is perfectly safe where she is too.

Catching Olaf proved to not work. Looks like Captain Widdershins was right about our enemies being tougher than we thought. Jacques continued to leave me in the apartment even after the Baudelaires successfully went to Dr. Montgomery's house after the marriage play didn't work. The only problem is Jacques got a call while they were on their way from Jacqueline saying Gustav had been murdered.

Despite the loss of another noble volunteer, Jacques kept working diligently on his missions. He'd leave me with enough food to last the amount of days he'd be gone and I had the place to myself. I would spend my time alone reading the books Jacques always brought with him everywhere and sometimes staring at my picture of Fiona and wishing I could talk to her.

As luck would have it, Jacques took pity on me one day and gave me a wireless telegraph so I could do just that. I managed to contact the Queequeg and Fiona and I had some simple conversations every couple days. The Baudelaires were living with Dr. Montgomery and everything was going well... until Jacques got another call from Jacqueline.

"Monty's been murdered?!"

After Dr. Montgomery's tragic death, at the hands of Olaf I'm sure, Jacques took me to the doctor's house to investigate and search for the Baudelaires. But they were already gone by the time we arrived; Jacqueline said her "boss" Mr. Poe was taking them to live with Josephine Anwhistle who was apparently their relative by marriage. Monty's house was certainly impressive and very nice. You could tell it was a place for somebody who loved animals.

Jacques eventually told me that he had a lot of work to do. It was too dangerous to leave me in his apartment for as long as he needed to since there were so many people around it they might suspect something with me being alone all day. So he left me in Monty's empty home out in the country. I didn't mind it much, it was nicer than the apartment and there were plenty of new books to read. Though poking around in Monty's scientific library just made me miss Fiona's mycological library; even if I couldn't understand the words!

I did learn a lot about snakes though... I guess he was a herpetologist.

Jacques would come and go for the next week and then we got more bad news from Jacqueline, who was tipped off by her boyfriend. Josephine had been thrown to man eating leeches, and the Baudelaires had run away to a new location meaning they were off our radar. I don't see how Jacques can stay so calm in situations like this. I wish I had Fiona to tell me everything was going to work out; so many things were going wrong that I was worried for people I'd never even met!

For just over 2 weeks the Baudelaires were gone from the organization's grasp. Until they were finally found at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill in Paltryville; and after that they were being moved to a new home of which I was not aware of yet. Jacques told me he had to go to Paltryville to do some interviewing of the townspeople, and again I was left alone.

What I didn't know was that the day Jacques left the house... something unexpected was happening far from me in a place called Prufrock Preparatory School…

 **~Normal POV**

 _"Cakesniffing orphans in the orphan shack! Cakesniffing orphans in the orphan shack!"_

 _"Leave them alone Carmelita, you're the cakesniffer, and nobody in their right mind would want to sit with you anyway. Come on there's room at our table."_

 _"I'm Isadora Quagmire and this is my brother Duncan."_

 _"I'm Violet Baudelaire and these are my siblings Klaus and Sunny."_

 _"It's nice to meet you."_

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Leaving it off here because that was a decent place to stop; don't worry there will definitely be more! See you in the next part!**


	60. Memory Lane Part 6

**Begin!**

 **~Quigley's POV**

Jacques told me that my siblings had met the Baudelaires at Prufrock. I don't know what their relationship is like in detail, but my family has always been very easy to get along with; I still don't know anything about the Baudelaires themselves though. It's wonderful to know that Duncan and Isadora aren't so alone at that school anymore, but I'm still alone here.

I looked at my picture of Fiona once more and sighed. "I wish I was with you too, doll," I muttered to myself.

I'm so glad I'm alone in the house right now because people might think I'm going crazy…

Just this morning I got another telegram from Fiona with some interesting news. She said their cook Mari had returned to working for V.F.D.'s main operation so they hired a replacement. She said his name was Phil, and that he was extremely nice. I don't know if I'd ever see Mari again, but she was my friend too and I wish her well. During our conversation she also gave me a bit of bad news: she would have to stop contacting me after this. Their new mission required daily use of their telegraph, and she convinced her stepfather to let me know first so I don't freak out. I understood, after all I can't do anything about it, and sent her a final message telling her I would be ok and that I miss her.

After 11 days, Jacques had been sent to Prufrock to save Jacqueline's boyfriend Larry from some trouble. It was then that we learned that Olaf showed up at the school. Forget being worried about people I've never met, now I'm worried about my siblings again…

I had a small fight with Jacques after he came back to the house from helping Larry. I wanted to go to Prufrock. I needed to protect my siblings; cover be damned I'm sure there was something I could do! Jacques wouldn't have any of it. He understood my problems and reminded me that he was just concerned as I am, but he simply cannot let me do that. I was mad... but he's right. I remembered how terrified I was when I was almost caught by villains the day I met Fiona. I wasn't ready to be on my own yet.

The _Daily Punctilio_ gave me something new the next day though. I had been somewhat conditioned from my journalist nerd older brother to never trust the newspaper because they have a habit of printing only lies and misleading information. So I have been avoiding reading it myself recently. But today I found the paper on the desk Jacques was using in Monty's house and the picture caught my attention. My siblings were on the cover, along with some other kids, and a man in a strange looking gym teacher outfit. I asked Jacques about it and he said the man was Count Olaf in disguise and the other children were the Baudelaires. The picture appeared to have been taken during a pep rally as there were a bunch of other students in the crowd.

At last I finally got to see these people who were so crucial to the organization. Yes it had actually been this long before I got to know what they looked like. There was the girl Violet, long dark hair, attractive features; I'm a taken man, doesn't mean I can't recognize it when I see it. I wonder if Duncan has tried sweet-talking her though. My brother was never good with girls, he's too shy. Then there was Violet's brother, I've been told his name was Klaus; he had the same black hair as his sister and similar features covered by a pair of glasses. He looked like a smart guy... I don't like how close he was standing to Isadora though. In Violet's arms was their one year old sister Sunny. That kid is honestly a dentist's nightmare because what the hell is up with those teeth?! Note to self, don't let the kid bite you…

I took another look at my siblings. Duncan had gotten taller since I last saw him. His hair was still neat and well-kept, unlike mine. We're identical triplets so we have to put effort into making our appearances distinct; though Duncan is still less handsome than me. Isadora looked more grown up than before. She is the youngest, but only on a technicality. It felt good to see my family, even if it was just a picture in an unreliable newspaper; it let me know they were still with me somehow.

Unfortunately, the next time I'd hear my siblings' names was 10 days later when they did something fucking insane: they got themselves kidnapped. Jacques could tell I was in a bad emotional state. I may or may not have thrown a book across the room when he told me the news.

"Why? How? I know them! They're not dumb enough to get involved in this!"

"Quigley, I know how it feels I've got siblings I care about too! My brother is off the radar in mourning, and my sister is going to have a baby in these dangerous times! But getting angry isn't going to do anything to help."

Once again, my guardian was right. "But why did they do it?"

"Here dry your eyes." He handed me a tissue, I didn't even notice I had started crying.

He continued in a gentler tone, "I don't know that just yet. But I need to go, Jacqueline just called a taxi for someone and she sent me personally. I'll be back later."

I nodded in understanding and sat down in the reptile room to contemplate the situation. I pulled out my commonplace book to look at Fiona once more so I wouldn't feel so alone.

"Why... why did they have to get involved? Whatever it was I hope it was a damn good reason..."

"I'm back! And I brought a friend!"

A friend; must be another volunteer I haven't met yet. I went into the main hall and saw Jacques helping an unfamiliar lady with her bags; apparently they had also brought food which was much more interesting to me. The woman was about Jacques age, had glasses and a warm, pretty smile.

She looked at me and stared in shock, "Duncan?!"

I laughed, "Well that hasn't happened in a while! No ma'am, I'm Quigley."

"Quigley! But your siblings told me you were dead!"

She set down her bag and quickly enveloped me in a tight hug. Jacques took the bags into the kitchen to put away our food as the woman introduced herself.

"My name is Olivia Caliban, up until 2 days ago I was the librarian at Prufrock. I know Duncan and Isadora, they're wonderful people. Jacques said I can help him find them."

I perked up a bit at that. "You know them? Can you answer a question for me?"

"Of course; what is it?"

"Why were they kidnapped?"

Olivia sighed, "I got to talk to the Baudelaires before they went off with their banker friend. They told me everything."

And so she told me what happened: my siblings risked their lives to keep the Baudelaires from getting expelled and got kidnapped in the process because their plan backfired.

"Ok I guess that's a damn good reason..." I muttered in response. "But why did they do something so drastic to keep the Baudelaires around?"

Olivia smirked a little, "Well they spent all their free time in the library, and from where I was standing, it looked like they were quite taken with each other if you know what I mean..."

I smiled at that. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet the Baudelaires soon since my siblings are so fond of them.

She then started fussing over my roguish appearance like my mother used to, "You need a haircut."

I pulled away from her at that. "Ah, no thanks! I like my hair just fine!"

"And why is that?"

"Because my girlfriend likes my hair this way," I replied, smiling fondly thinking about Fiona again. (My original excuse was "girls like my hair" it's been recently changed.)

"You have a girlfriend; well I'm sure you'd look more handsome if you cut it."

"Not for Fiona, she likes my hair. And I want to look good for her when I get to see her again."

I quickly explained why we couldn't be together right now and Olivia seemed to understand. Once Jacques came back, I was telling Olivia how I escaped my fire and she told me how she was the only adult at Prufrock who was nice to my siblings. She was an orphan herself so she knows how it feels.

It was too dangerous for me to try to help with their plan to find them. That's alright though; I stayed in my room reading as Jacques worked with Olivia on their plan to search 667 Dark Avenue.

They, um, looked like they wanted to be alone... watching adults flirt is kind of gross. But I could tell they liked each other. Jacques was pretty suave and charming towards our new recruit. They were a good match for each other.

Jacques and Olivia trained for several days before going to Dark Avenue and searching for my siblings. They left me with enough food to survive for now, and I gave them a wish of luck, Jacques left me a spyglass this time saying it was a good idea for me to have one, Olivia gave me another warm hug, and I was left alone in the house once more.

I wish I had known this was the last time I would see either of them…

Olaf escaped with my siblings again; I learned it from the mislabeled names in the papers. (Why were there papers still being delivered here anyway? Don't they know the guy who lived here is dead?) The Baudelaires were apparently being moved to a place called the Village of Fowl Devotees; rolls right off the tongue.

Jacques hasn't come back yet... I assume he and Olivia had to chase Olaf out to this village. God I hope they find my siblings soon…

 _Crash_

I heard a loud crash from the reptile room and ran in there to find someone had tossed a lit torch through the window. Shit! I grabbed my backpack, stuffed it with any small bits of food I could carry, made damn sure I had my commonplace book in my pocket, and opened the trap door under Monty's scientific library so I could escape. I already died in one fire I'm not doing it again! I didn't know where I was going, but I was safe in the V.F.D. tunnel system once more…

"Guess I should just start walking then..."

I took out my notebook and started mapping out the tunnels to pass the time. I walked for hours, I had a watch this time around, and eventually I came to another trap door. I opened it and found myself in an abandoned optometrist's office. I looked outside to find a ruined town that looked like it was burned down years ago. But the best part is that it was empty and surrounded by forest. Finite Forest to be exact; and I've studied maps of this forest before. I'm sure I can make my through, maybe even find a volunteer to help me.

I went outside and started my journey, and not but a couple hours into walking I saw something immensely helpful: a group of kids and an adult wearing Snow Scout uniforms and covering their faces with fencing masks. I listened in on their conversation to find they were on their way to their annual hike to celebrate False Spring in the Mortmain Mountains.

 _"The Mortmain Mountains, huh... that gives me an idea."_

I stealthily took a spare mask from their pile of supplies and quickly covered my face with it. Looking just like my siblings would cause problems if any of these people read the papers. And I talked to the scout leader Bruce about staying with them temporarily. He accepted and I began my journey to the mountains with the scouts.

Though I really wish the one with the filly pink skirt would shut up…

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yay for a little Jalivia in this part, as small as it is!**


	61. Memory Lane Part 7

**Begin!**

 **~Quigley's POV**

If I have to hear that Snow Scout pledge one more time…

Four days passed while I was traveling with the Snow Scouts. And I got to enjoy the _delightful_ company of the vainest, most selfish, girl I've ever met: Carmelita Spats. She apparently used to live at Prufrock with the Baudelaires and my siblings because she kept talking about "cakesniffing orphans in love." I amused myself with the idea that she secretly shipped it. And Fiona said I had a high opinion of myself... if she ever met this brat I think she'd call me modest…

Another 3 days passed while we traveled; if I have to hear Carmelita sing one more time I'm going to throw myself off the nearest cliff. God I miss Fiona so much... I knew she had a lovely voice. Anytime I could be alone I would look at my picture of her. I couldn't show it to anyone or they'd find out who I was.

Another 2 days passed after that and we had finally reached the mountains. My parents said they would take me here someday, probably to bring me into their secret organization. We set up camp in a cave that I recognized from my notes. I noticed the Vertical Flame Diversion Jacques told me about. The troop was using it as a chimney for our campfire smoke. Smart idea, but I don't think any of them realized what it actually is. I noticed that Jacques was correct about the fire pole being gone from the passage, now it was just footholds.

The Snow Scouts sat around the campfire talking for most of the morning. I sat there being bored the whole time. I kept my notebook safely in my pocket while the scouts were awake; chances are that one might take it from me if I'm not careful.

"Hey cakesniffers!"

Oh, god Carmelita shut up…

"I see two shadows entering the cave and they look like cakesniffers Uncle Bruce!"

I warily looked towards the cave entrance and my jaw fell open behind my mask. It's them! The Baudelaires! Holy shit, talk about lucky! They'll know where my siblings are! I only saw the two older ones though and they also looked worse for wear; covered in strange makeup and a few stings from the snow gnats outside. After a moment, the Snow Scouts invited them over to sit with us and they took a spot beside me; after cleaning themselves up and putting on some winter clothing. (Given their reputation, they put on some spare masks too.)

I racked my brain trying to think about how to communicate with them. I can't just mention my siblings in front of all these strangers that'd be a disaster. But if I'm going to get them to trust me before I tell them who I am, I need a system. I watched them carefully to look for any clues. The Snow Scouts said their stupid pledge, which I won't repeat for the sake of my sanity, and nobody noticed that I didn't say it with them.

Klaus commented that xylophone is not an adjective, and I got to speak to him for the first time by explaining that Bruce couldn't think of another word that started with X.

"What about xenial; it means-" Klaus was interrupted by Bruce saying they can't change the pledge.

Guess he is a smart guy; Fiona taught me that word. Violet hadn't said much, they both look tired, hungry, and also scared. It must have something to do with why there's no sign of their baby sister. I'd be scared too in that situation... I mean, I still don't know where my baby sister is so I am scared. That's why I need them. Bruce said something about bears living in these caves once, but thanks to Jacques I knew that was wrong.

I leaned over to the Baudelaires and corrected Bruce's statement by saying, "Not bears, lions. They were Volunteer Feline Detectives."

That got their attention.

Hours later, once all the scouts had fallen asleep, I approached the Baudelaires as quietly as possible and told them to follow me over to the passage. I showed them the tunnel using the flashlight in my spyglass. And explained why we have to be careful and silent.

"Before we go any further, give us one reason to trust you," Violet said. Klaus nodded in agreement with her.

"You mentioned the word xenial earlier. Xenial is a word which refers to the giving of gifts to a stranger," I replied.

"He's right," Klaus said.

"I know having a good vocabulary doesn't guarantee that I'm a good person, but it does mean I read a lot. And in my experience, well-read people are less likely to be evil."

They seemed to accept my statement and began following me up the diversion. I contemplated mentioning how I had actually learned the word, it was when I was reading one of Fiona's books and had to ask her what it meant, but I suppose I could tell them another time. Hour after hour we climbed, making sure to stay silent so we don't wake the scouts below us. Once I reached the top I paused to help them both up before we continued on.

"It should be safe for us to talk up here," I said pulling out my notebook and looking for my map of the area.

"Is that a commonplace book," Violet asked looking at the red cover.

"Yes it is; it's a very useful thing to have." I showed them the page with my map on it before telling them to follow me to the secret entrance.

"I'm sorry about being so secretive before," I said as we walked, "I couldn't afford to blow my cover in front of them."

"We understand," Klaus said.

"Your map drawing skills are very impressive," Violet commented.

"Thank you, I fancy myself to be quite good at cartography."

We reached the Vernacularly Fastened Door at last. Violet and Klaus helped me with the three codes that were required to open it. And as it was expected, we opened it to find the V.F.D. headquarters in ruins. The Baudelaires looked around the area with a sad curiosity as we searched for any sign of life.

"I'm sure it was beautiful," I said quietly, thinking about how Jacques described its peaceful atmosphere.

Part of me hoped Fiona hadn't been here when this happened…

After some time spent looking around, Violet and Klaus finally asked me who I was, so I took off my mask and introduced myself to them at last.

"Quigley Quagmire."

The two stared at me in disbelief after removing their own masks. They know my siblings, as far as they know I'm a ghost.

"That doesn't make any sense," Violet said, "Duncan and Isadora told us you were dead."

I chuckled. "Well I'm very happy I'm not!"

"But how are you here," Klaus asked.

I gave them the shortest possible version of how I got out of my house and met Jacques in the secret tunnels. I avoided telling them about my stay on the Queequeg for now as it wasn't necessary to learn about just yet. Of course they did have some bad news for me as well, and it was something I had feared for days…

"Jacques is dead," Violet told me. "Olaf murdered him in the Village of Fowl Devotees and framed us for it."

I frowned, "That doesn't surprise me... He left me to stay in Monty's house while he went after my siblings, and I haven't heard from him or Olivia since... I figured something happened. What about Olivia? Where is she?"

Violet and Klaus looked ready to just break from me mentioning her name. I understand why I was sad about Jacques, I knew him much longer, but they knew Olivia longer than I did. And they eventually forced themselves to tell me her tragic fate.

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Olivia knew you were alive," Klaus said quizzically.

"I got to meet her the day she met Jacques. They were quite taken with each other. As sad as it is, it's nice to know they're together now."

Violet nodded. "I suppose you're right. I guess she never got around to telling us about you, not like we would have believed her without proof anyway."

"Probably not, but since you know my siblings can you tell me where they are?"

"We can... sort of," Violet replied, "We sent them up in a self-sustaining hot air mobile home with a noble friend of ours named Hector. He promised to look after them for us until we're rid of Olaf. We don't know where the home is exactly but we know they're safe."

"Shit... and I was really hoping to see them again. I guess I have to wait a little longer. Olivia told me you guys were close..."

The two appeared slightly embarrassed by that wording so I chose not to press them further on the matter. (I'll have a word with Klaus about my sister later...)

"Where's your sister by the way? Jacques said there were three of you."

"Sunny was kidnapped by Olaf on our way up the mountain trail," Klaus explained, "He thinks we fell to our deaths in a runaway caravan so Sunny is all alone with him."

"Jacques told me what Olaf was up to. If he thinks he needs your sister alive for your fortune then she's safe. And because you're close to my family, I'll be glad to help you find yours."

"We appreciate that, thank you," Violet said. "But how are we going to find Sunny out here?"

Klaus pulled out his own spyglass, which appeared to be two pieces from different ones fastened together, and was looking up at the frozen waterfall behind us. Violet and I looked up with him and saw green smoke rising in the sky.

"That's from a Verdant Flammable Device," I explained using words I had learned from Fiona about V.F.D. this time. "If your sister is smart she'd find a way to signal for help and that would be your best bet."

"Climbing the waterfall it is then," Violet said. "Klaus go through the library and see if you can find anything useful left."

I handed him a spare notebook from my bag to help with his task. And Violet told me to keep watch on the waterfall with my spyglass while she gathered materials to make a climbing invention. I could see why Olivia said Duncan was so taken with Violet. She seemed intelligent, kind, and resourceful. Perhaps when we're out of this situation for good Fiona and I can double date with them. That'd be fun.

I looked over at the Stricken Stream that the waterfall fell into and hoped that I could see my doll again soon.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yes I actually finished 2 parts in one day. See you in the next part!**


	62. Memory Lane Part 8

**Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"Violet I'm not so sure about you going up that waterfall by yourself," Klaus said worriedly.

I shrugged as I put on my climbing invention, "I'll be fine, one of us has to go up there to see if that signal was Sunny."

"If it was, then Olaf and his troupe will be there!"

"Then I'll make sure they don't see me," I reasoned.

Quigley was looking at the waterfall thoughtfully; I couldn't tell what he was thinking. It was a miracle that he was alive; though I am wary of him. Duncan told me his brother was a flirt who has a weakness for pretty girls. He hasn't flirted with me yet, and I hope he doesn't try to. I never told anyone, but Duncan is my boyfriend. We kept our romantic meetings secret from our families until we could find safety from our misfortune. I denied it when Vice Principal Nero said something about it, but that was to keep us safe. I knew Carmelita was the one who started the rumor about us dating anyway, so it was only a matter of time before we went public with it.

"Violet, can I go with you?"

I stared at Quigley with confusion. "Why?"

"To give Klaus some peace of mind so you don't have to go alone, and because I want to help you find out if Sunny's ok."

His expression was neutral, but his words seemed genuine. I can't help thinking there was some other reason he wanted to do this. He seemed to have something on his mind.

"Klaus, will you be alright down here for a while?"

Klaus nodded and said he would continue his research until we got back. There had to be something we needed in this library while we're here.

"Alright, Quigley, if you really want to then you can come." I gave him one of my climbing inventions and we left one for Klaus just in case something went wrong.

We climbed the waterfall for some time, hours actually. He insisted on climbing beside me instead of following. (Something I was extremely thankful for because that would have been very perverted and wrong otherwise...) About halfway up we reached a ledge to rest on. Quigley reached into his bag and shared some food with me so we could regain our energy from our long climb.

"Do you think Sunny is really up there," I asked.

"I'm sure she is," He replied reassuringly, "I know how it feels to be worried about family."

I nodded. "I'm sorry we couldn't bring them to you. I wish we had brought them with us..."

"That's just how the story goes. I'm willing to wait just a little longer myself. After all, it'll be a pretty big surprise to them," He smiled at that fact.

I tried to calm myself from my family worries by admiring my surroundings. But then Quigley said something unexpected.

"My girlfriend would not have any of this view," He said chuckling lightly, "She'd be too scared to climb up this high."

I blinked in surprise. "You have a girlfriend?"

He took out his notebook once more and pulled something out of it and handed it to me. It was a picture of him and a pretty girl with triangle-shaped glasses. Their arms were around each other and they looked quite content together. I couldn't help noticing the red outfit the girl was wearing along with Quigley's red commonplace book... interesting color choice. I handed it back to him and he tucked it safely in his book.

"Her name is Fiona Widdershins," He explained with a smile, "She lives on a submarine called the Queequeg. This picture was taken on our last day together before I went back to staying with Jacques."

He told me his story about how the two of them met and how he ended up on the submarine for many months while his siblings were at Prufrock. It was nice to hear, and it helped me not think too hard about my family situation. He told me they were still faithful and he wasn't the type to cheat, despite what it might have seemed like from his description according to his siblings.

"I miss her..."

"I can tell; you're whipped."

He scowled at my comment and looked embarrassed.

"I'm just teasing you! I think it's great you're settled."

He nodded. "I wanted to put my life back together. Be a better person for my family. I'm sure Duncan told you all about me..."

"He told me some things," I replied, "Most of the time talking about you was too upsetting for both of them though. And since you weren't keen on sharing your secret I might as well share mine: I'm Duncan's girlfriend."

"No shit? My brother does have backbone! He was never good with girls."

I smiled. "Well actually he's quite charming... We didn't want to tell anyone yet though until we were sure we could be safe together."

Then I frowned. "Then Olaf showed up..."

"I heard... It was that one time I had to believe the _Daily Punctilio_. But hey that was an incredibly brave thing they did for you guys!"

"It was Duncan's idea," I said. "Isadora did it because she wanted to help."

He got a little annoyed. I think I know where this is going…

"So about Klaus and Isadora-"

I started laughing. "My brother would never hurt anyone! He's too soft-hearted. He loves Izzie. He really loves her. When we got separated he practically turned the Hinterlands into an ocean with how hard he cried. He's too shy to admit it though; he can barely talk to her without stuttering!"

Quigley still looked skeptical. I suppose I understand; he did just meet Klaus after all.

"Trust me, Klaus is a complete gentleman. He'd never do anything like that. He respects Isadora."

"Did he ever touch her?"

"No... but she kissed him on the cheek."

I then chose the exact moment to turn around and continue climbing. I heard Quigley start shouting at me to explain what happened as he started following beside me once more. I then heard him say something related to a threat to Klaus when he gets back to the headquarters. Note to self, get to the headquarters first so Quigley doesn't kill your brother…

When we finally reached the top I was overjoyed to find Sunny alive and well, even though she was locked in a cage again. I introduced Quigley and started to pick the lock while assuring my sister that everything would be ok.

 **~Quigley's POV**

It was nice to finally meet little Sunny but there was something I needed to do up here. I had a promise to keep and I had only one chance to do it. While Violet and Sunny were talking, I stealthily slipped away into Olaf's campground. I reached into my bag and covered my face with my snow scout mask as I snuck behind Olaf's car looking around the area.

I heard Olaf and Esmé Squalor talking gleefully with two very scary looking people, while two White Faced Women watched, along with several people who looked like carnival freaks. But the thing that I was most paying attention to a man who had hooks for hands and how I needed to get his attention. I've known for a while that this man was a part of Olaf's troupe, Jacques warned me about all of Olaf's associates, even the ones that appeared to be missing from the group here, and I had already known who this was. After all, I have a picture of him in my notebook.

I slipped ever so slowly towards him and from my position made a sound to get his attention. He looked down at me with confusion at what I was doing here. Obviously my mask made him unable to guess who I was, not that it mattered since we'd never met.

He glanced at the conversation between his associates to ensure they weren't paying attention before softly asking, "Who are you, and how did you get up here?"

"Never mind that, sir. I'll tell you who I am in the future. Right now I have a message for you from Miss Fiona Widdershins."

His eyes went wide. As Fiona had said, saying her name made him instantly listen to me. He crouched down beside me. "How do you know her?"

"We're close," I replied knowing I didn't have time to share details. "She wanted me to tell you she misses you very much."

Fernald nodded to show he had accepted the message I just risked my life to give. Fiona will be happy to know I kept my promise. He then looked the other way as I crawled back over to Violet and Sunny without giving away my position. I took off my mask and put it back in my bag. The Baudelaire sisters appeared to not notice that I slipped away for a moment. It'll be an awkward conversation to have to tell them that was my future brother-in-law I was talking to, and I'm not quite ready to explain that yet. Though I guess Fiona must have not known about the whole hooks for hands thing since in my picture he had his real hands.

Violet couldn't convince Sunny to come back down with us so we climbed down the waterfall without her. But at least she was safe, that was the important part.

 **~Violet's POV**

Once we reached the headquarters again I had to stop Quigley from attacking Klaus for having any kind of romantic interaction with my poet friend. Klaus assured Quigley that he would never hurt Isadora in any possible way, and I reminded them that they needed to get along or we'd never get out of this together. Quigley begrudgingly agreed and Klaus proceeded to share his research with us.

"There's a meeting Thursday at the last safe place. Did Jacques tell you about that?"

Quigley nodded. "Hotel Denouement, it's run by the Denouement brothers Frank and Ernest. Jacques took me there once and I got to meet his sister and her husband."

"So this is a call to all volunteers then," I asked. "Everyone will be there?"

"Looks like it," Klaus said. "Now tell me why isn't Sunny with you?"

I explained that Sunny wanted to spy on Olaf since they think she can't understand them and she's fairly certain that she doesn't need rescuing. Something about having an interesting change of events. I don't know what she meant by that. But it seemed to make Quigley amused for some reason. He mumbled something about a kind person after all and I had no idea what he was talking about. It was now night time after our long climbing up and down the slope, so the three of us found some spaces to sleep in for the night.

 _"Duncan, wherever you are, I want you to know I miss you."_

 **~The next day…**

Unfortunately, Esmé came down to the headquarters today, not sure why. Klaus, Quigley, and I kept our snow scout masks on to hide our identities and convinced her to take us to Sunny. It was quite easy actually, all we had to do was lie and say we knew where the sugar bowl was. She'll do anything for that bowl, and I don't think it has anything to do with why it's actually important.

I don't know how, but the three of us managed to climb up the waterfall while pulling Esmé up in a sled chair. And when we reached the top Olaf thankfully didn't recognize us.

We tried negotiating Sunny's release, but found that it didn't matter because Sunny had gotten out anyway and was hiding from Olaf behind his car. I noticed the hook-handed man seemed to look at Quigley the most of us. Like he recognized him or something, he also seemed less invested in what Olaf was telling him to do than before. I'm not sure what was up with that, and Klaus seemed curious too. Quigley seemed calm and collected, must have learned it from his siblings.

When we revealed our identities to Olaf that was when the Snow Scouts arrived to do their False Spring tradition. And to our utter horror, Carmelita wanted to join his troupe! And threatened to murder us! Well it wasn't actually that shocking we knew she was a bitch but this was a new level of bitch.

I noticed something though. Quigley locked eyes with the hook-handed man for a second after taking off his mask. Olaf recognized Quigley from his identical appearance to his siblings. (Duncan and Isadora said they also found out he knew their parents too) But after this happened, the four of us made our escape with a sled that Sunny grabbed from somewhere, I would later find out it was given to her by someone who had grown to care for reasons I didn't know yet.

Unfortunately, the waterfall broke open... and while we were riding down it on our sled Quigley got separated from us. We watched sadly as he slipped down the opposite path of the stream holding his notebook so it wouldn't get destroyed.

Something sentimental tells me he wasn't just doing that to protect his maps…

My siblings and I rode down the stream for a couple hours before we were finally stopped by an object in the water. Whatever we hit was like a large metal box. And it seemed to know we had arrived. A periscope rose out along with part of what appeared to be a submarine. The three of us knocked on the hatch asking to be let in, as we had no other options. Through a speaker we heard a female voice ask for the password. Klaus was about to say what we assumed was the correct one but I stopped him. Instead I said my own choice of password that I knew would get us in.

"We know Quigley Quagmire," I said.

The girl on the other end paused. After several tense moments she replied, "Acceptable." And the hatch opened.

"How did you-" Klaus started but I interrupted him again.

"I'll explain when we get inside."

The three of us climbed down into the submarine that I recognized the name of from Quigley's tale yesterday: Queequeg.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yes. Three parts in one day. I'm insane...**


	63. Memory Lane Part 9

**Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

Once we were in the submarine I explained that Quigley told me he'd been here before. I didn't give all the details, because I'm pretty sure that they'll be able to figure it out themselves once we meet the crew. The door to the hall opened and we were greeted by a man in a captain's uniform smiling at us. He introduced himself as Captain Widdershins, and mentioned that he knew our parents. (That wasn't surprising anymore, most of our guardians did.) He also had strange verbal tick to say "aye" in most every sentence.

Once we were led to the main deck we were greeted by Fiona and to our surprise Phil from the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill was living here now; it was nice to see him doing well for himself. Fiona looked just like the picture Quigley showed me, except I could tell she was worried about her sweetheart. It was the look in her eyes that gave it away. Her stepfather explained that their current mission was to look for the missing sugar bowl, and during this moment Fiona very softly asked to meet me in private so we could talk. I assume she wanted details about Quigley's absence as fast as possible. I know the feeling; I'd give anything to know where Duncan is right now too.

Upon finding out what we needed to do to help out, Fiona took us downstairs to the barracks so we could get into some more comfortable attire. I finished changing first and went out into the hall and saw Fiona motion for me to join her in a nearby room. Once we were alone, she was finally able to speak freely.

"My stepfather knows I'm worried but he insists that I focus on my job so we can stay on schedule. Now tell me everything, how do you know Quigley and why isn't he with you?"

"Believe me, we wish we could have brought him to you," I replied. "When we went down the stream he fell off our sled and got taken down the opposite path. We don't know where he is."

Fiona frowned. "...He might not be ok?"

"He's very resilient," I assured her, "He was more concerned with protecting his notebook from the water."

I saw her smile a little at that. "Well I guess I can only hope he made it out ok..."

"And you should. We met him just yesterday..."

I explained what had happened on Mount Fraught while we were trying to save Sunny.

"So... when you were climbing the waterfall... he was alone with you?"

She gave me a strange look. She couldn't think I- oh my god she's jealous.

"Oh no no no! I swear nothing happened! I'm in a relationship with his brother Duncan and we're completely faithful. No when we were on the waterfall Quigley told me all about you, he wouldn't shut up about it, and he even showed me his picture of the two of you in his notebook."

Fiona gave me a relieved smile, her face went a little pink, and pulled out her own teal notebook to show me she had the same picture. "I'm sorry for doubting you... it's been so long since I was last able to talk to him I just got scared that's all."

"No I totally understand I would think the same in that situation. But he does really miss you."

"I miss him too, and thank you for your honesty."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you two are happy together."

"Me too... I wonder if he still hates it when I call him Quiggles," She said with a little smirk.

I snorted at the silly, but oddly adorable, pet name. "I'm sure he might warm up to it."

 **~Klaus' POV**

Our new friend Fiona showed me to the submarine's impressive library so I could work on deciphering the tidal charts. She's perfectly nice; I'm glad we get along. And having something to work on does help take my mind off of my worries for my secret love Isadora. I know Duncan will keep his sister safe no matter what but that doesn't stop me from worrying.

"If you're ever interested you're welcome to my mycological library; if you have time later. I can tell you're someone who understands the language in it better than Quigley did."

"So Quigley was here while he was in hiding?"

"For a while yes; it was quite nice having him around."

I chuckled, "Well he didn't give the same impression when he threatened me for his sister kissing me..."

"He told me he cares deeply for Isadora, I'm sure he was just being protective. My brother would have done the same."

I nodded. "Guess I'd probably do the same for Sunny too when she's older."

"It's the natural order of things. You're the older sibling you'll do anything and everything to keep your younger siblings safe no matter the cost. I would know I'm the baby of my family."

The two of us set to work on our tidal charts, occasionally having friendly conversation. She seemed to speak fondly of Quigley's time here, which led me to a theory on why Violet said that obviously incorrect password worked.

"You and Quigley seem close..."

"I should hope so, he's my boyfriend."

I blinked and looked her over for a moment. "You're together?"

She nodded smiling as she worked. Based on his siblings description of him, it didn't seem like a scientist like her would go for a dumbass like him. But I guess love works in crazy ways sometimes. If fate said these two should be together then who am I to question it? But I did want to make a snarky remark.

"Would you mind if I make a comment?"

"Depends on the kind of comment."

"He's got good taste."

"I'll accept that comment, thank you. What about you, is Isadora your girlfriend or something?"

"I wish... I mumbled while my face felt uncomfortably hot.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm sure you'll see each other again someday, then you can tell her how you feel."

"It'd take a miracle for that to happen..."

I was referring to being able to tell Isadora how I feel, but I suppose I could have been talking about seeing them again in the first place.

After some time working, we eventually found that the sugar bowl is most likely to be under the ruins of Anwhistle Aquatics and shared our information with the others. Fiona explained the problems with going there though, as her mycology book said there was a fatal fungus living within that was man cultivated. But if we needed the sugar bowl then we'd have to go in anyway.

"I'll go in with you," Fiona said reassuringly, "My research will help protect us."

 **~Meanwhile... Quigley's POV**

After going down the current for some time I was finally dropped at the stream bank tired and completely soaked from the rapids. But my notebook was safe, that was the most important part. I pulled myself up and found I wasn't alone. I was quickly approached by a heavily pregnant woman with a taxi not far behind her on the trail.

"Kit? Is that you?"

Kit Snicket leaned down next to me and checked me over for injuries, "Quigley I was working on my mission and I saw you in the water with my spyglass. I've been following the stream for a long time. Are you alright?"

Kit was a very kind woman, but she had been through hardships herself.

"I could use some warming up," I replied with a weak smile.

She helped me into her car, gave me a blanket to help with the freezing cold, and we drove off.

"I got separated from the Baudelaires by the stream, did you see them?"

"I didn't, sorry. But I know where they are," Kit said, "I got a telegram from Captain Widdershins saying they boarded the Queequeg."

"Take me there," I commanded instantly, my grip on my notebook subconsciously tightened.

"I can't do that. I understand why you want to go so badly, but you have something else to help with. Jacqueline recently became the Duchess of Winnipeg, and I asked her for some resources. I'm putting you on a helicopter and you're going to go stay with your siblings until given further instructions from someone else."

I weighed the options in my head... be with Fiona again... or be with my family again. I really miss both of them.

But if I go to my family first then I can take them with me when I reunite with Fiona!

"Alright, can I at least dry off first?"

Kit made an amused sound. "Of course."

So while the Baudelaires were on the Queequeg with my doll, I recovered from my trip down the stream and was sent up in a helicopter to find my siblings at last. As it turned out, their hot air mobile home was high above the sea floating lazily through the sky and after some convincing of the owner, Hector, I got permission to climb aboard. My helicopter pilot said that I was to wait here until given further instructions so I had no choice but to stay.

Hector introduced himself and was rather shocked to see me. It was to be expected; he was one of the few volunteers who didn't know I was alive.

"Ok wait here while I get them for you," He said with a polite smile.

He went down into a hatch that led into the inside of the home as I stood on the surface admiring the airship. I may or may not have felt a little excited and anxious to see my family, but I was trying not to show it. Can't um... ruin my reputation you know. I heard the hatch open again and Hector crawled out followed by the two people I knew better than anyone.

"Duncan; Isadora..."

"Quigley...?"

"I missed you guys..."

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yay!**


	64. Memory Lane Part 10

**Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"You're sure these dive suits will protect us?" It had been a couple hours but we had reached the grotto and were preparing to journey inside.

"Absolutely," Fiona replied, "I've been diving plenty of times before and they're perfectly safe. Are you sure you want Sunny to come?"

"We prefer to stay together as much as possible," Klaus said as he helped secure our sister inside her little dive suit.

Sunny made a sound of agreement. I don't like the idea of going into the grotto but we didn't have a choice. Fiona was certain that we would be fine as long as we get out before the mushrooms wax again. As we finished getting ready and gathering our materials, I glanced at a clock on the wall and thought about what day it was, in a few hours it would be my 15th birthday. I didn't want to bother anyone with this information though. I'm not sure if Klaus or Sunny remembered and it simply wasn't important right now. We grabbed several flashlights to help us see in the dark waters and Fiona brought a waterproof bag so we could transport the sugar bowl if we found it.

We were each given a comm-device to be able to talk underwater, and Fiona had one that was directly linked to the Queequeg just in case. And once we had everything, we were ready for our mission. I kept a tight grip on Sunny's hand as the four of us climbed out of the submarine into the murky depths. We went down to the sea floor before getting to move forward. Fiona led the way inside, having memorized the map of the area. (I assume she learned a few things from Quigley on the matter)

"It's awful dark down here," Klaus said.

"Sunlight can't come down this far," Fiona replied searching the area with her flashlight.

"You're sure there's nothing dangerous living down here right," I asked.

"Don't worry we're not in anything's territory so we should be safe. I found something interesting though."

Fiona pointed her flashlight slightly above us at what we recognized as a V.F.D. insignia on the cave walls. "We're close," She noted.

"What was Anwhistle Aquatics anyway," Klaus asked, "You told us it burned down but you didn't mention what they did there."

"It was a science facility from what I have been told," Fiona explained, "I was 6 when it burned down so I never saw it myself. My stepfather said he'd been there once or twice when it was still running though."

"Does he know what it was for?"

"I don't know, but I found a spot where we can surface. I'll go first to make sure it's safe."

We watched as Fiona swam up to the surface. After several seconds she gave us the all clear and we followed her up. The four of us emerged in an underground area that looked to have been part building and part cave at the same time. There was a mess of debris lying everywhere and part of the floor was tile while the rest was dirt. In the center of the cave was a spiral metal staircase that led up into the building ruins. The area was illuminated by a few, still-functioning, lamps lying around, but we used our flashlights to see better anyway.

"I don't see any sign of the Medusoid Mycelium." Fiona said, while taking off her helmet. "It should be safe for a while." We removed our helmets too and set them aside in a pile.

"Looks like the place was ransacked," I said looking around. "Are you sure it was the fire that caused this?"

"Like I said, I don't know all the details."

"Do you know what's in the sugar bowl," Klaus asked.

Fiona shook her head, "I've been told it's going to save a lot of people from a terrible fate. But that's all I know; stepfather didn't tell me more than that."

"Search," Sunny said which meant, "Well we'd better start looking so we can get out of here faster."

We agreed with her so we split up and started looking through the debris. Sunny found some food and various condiments, and Fiona helped her pack some of it away for later in her bag. Klaus searched one side of the cave while I was on the other. I found an overturned desk that had some broken scientific equipment scattered around it, but what was the most interesting to me was a small newspaper scrap.

I picked it up and the picture on the cover caught my immediate attention. Duncan told me the _Daily Punctilio_ is almost always wrong and full of lies. But unfortunately, this was one of the few exceptions to that claim. I took another look at the picture of the man whose name was also in the headlines, and looked over at our new friend wondering if I should share this information. I debated with myself for a moment before deciding it could wait and put the paper in my suit pocket for safekeeping.

"I just got a call from Phil through my communicator," Fiona said after several minutes of us searching. "He says my stepfather was called away for an emergency. A distress call from somewhere."

"And what does that mean," I asked.

"It means that when we get back to the ship I'll drive us out of here. I'm in charge when the captain's not around. I hope Phil will be ok on his own in there for a while."

Klaus started chuckling at that. "He survived a stamper accident and a shark attack, I'm pretty sure he can handle anything at this point."

"Why did you apologize about the stamper accident anyway," Fiona asked.

Klaus avoided the question.

We searched damn near everywhere in the cave and eventually we came to our unfortunate conclusion: the sugar bowl was not here.

"Well I suppose we should just go back now-" Fiona stopped herself and stared at our exit route with wide, fearful eyes.

"What's wrong," I asked.

She didn't respond and simply pointed forward. We looked and saw what we had feared would happen. The Medusoid Mycelium; grey and black mushroom stalks started rising out of the ground blocking our only exit back to the submarine. We hurried as far back into the cave as we could get. Fiona reassured us that we as long as we stay far enough away we won't get poisoned.

We were going to be stuck down here for a while longer.

 **~Meanwhile... Duncan's POV**

"And then I ended up here." Quigley said finishing his tale of how he came to be with us again.

"That's amazing," I replied, "And you're still with your girl?"

Quigley nodded with a smile. "Yep, and after this is over I'll find her again and introduce you. The Baudelaires should be with her on the submarine right now so we can all be together after this."

"I can't wait," Isadora said excitedly. (Quigley and I both had an internal thought that she was referring to being with Klaus again more than anything else.)

Hector was flying the ship while we caught up with our brother. I can't believe how much he's changed! He's settled, happy, and even a little more modest! It's a miracle... though Isadora and I did kind of almost strangle him with our hugs upon seeing him again. And he'd already met the Baudelaires which was a good thing because it let us know where they were.

"Did Violet say anything about me when you were with her," I asked.

"She misses you a lot, big brother," Quigley replied, "She told me you guys were dating."

"I knew it," Isadora said confidently.

"Ok Izzie, thank you for the comment," I said dryly. "Everyone knows now I'm sure..."

"I figured it out because I saw you two making out behind the bleachers on the athletic field one night."

Quigley snickered, "Nice make out choice."

Isadora's smile faltered slightly, "I hope they're all ok..."

"Me too," I said quietly.

"If anything happened to my doll, I don't know what I'd do..." Quigley said.

The three of us fell into an uncertain silence thinking about the people we loved and hoping they were somewhere safe.

 **~Violet's POV**

It would be a couple hours before the mushrooms would wane again to let us leave. And during this time Sunny made us some dinner with her limited cooking materials and we spent time talking about things to keep our minds off our stressful situation.

"Quigley would be livid if he knew I was down here right now," Fiona said, "He's adamant about my safety, as if I can't take care of myself."

"Well he is your boyfriend," Klaus replied, "He's got every right to be worried."

Fiona rolled her eyes, "If I want safety, I call my brother."

That made me think about my newspaper scrap again, and I couldn't stop myself from asking a question. "What's your brother's name?"

"Fernald."

"Where is he?"

"No idea." Fiona started to clean her glasses with a small cloth as she continued. "He left home when he was 19 and I was 6; it was a couple weeks before we got the news about the Anwhistle Aquatics fire."

"You must miss him," I noted.

"He's a good, kind, man." Fiona said while putting her glasses back on. "He'd never hurt anyone unless they tried to hurt me. He made a promise to our mother that he'd never let anything or anyone hurt me."

"He can't very well keep that promise while he's not around you," Klaus said.

Fiona nodded. "I said the same thing before he left. He came into my room and told me he was going away and wouldn't tell me why. He said he wanted me to stay home because it meant I'd be safe. He and our stepfather had a falling out for some reason. In the weeks before he left, they would argue when they thought I was asleep. It was a shock really. Fernald was closer to our stepfather than our real father."

"Where," Sunny asked, meaning, "What happened to your real dad?"

"Dead, or maybe not," Fiona replied. "Mom said he walked out on us shortly after she found out she was pregnant with me. Fernald never said he was a cruel man, but he was a man who didn't want to be with us anymore. Mom got remarried when I was only a few months old. I never knew him so I don't think it's a big deal."

"So your family just kind of fell apart then," I said.

"Sad but true. We are still a family though," Fiona said, "A family looks out for each other."

"Your mother must have had the patience of a saint to marry a hasty man like your stepdad," I said trying to lighten the mood. "No offense."

Fiona smiled. "She did... and no offense taken; believe me I have to live with him so I know he takes some getting used to. Quigley said the same thing while he was living on the ship. But he also got to know him better."

"So the captain was just ok with your boyfriend living with you guys for all those months," Klaus said quizzically.

"Believe me, if Quigley had wanted to cross the line, I wouldn't have let him... I do hope the world goes back to being quiet soon so I can see him again..."

"I hope he found his family somehow," Klaus added softly. "I miss Isadora..."

"We're all worried about everyone," I said.

Fiona gave us a sad look. "I don't want to have to tell you this, but I remember when I heard about your fire. Our telegraph was going crazy printing reports on it. It was also the last night Quigley and I were together because Jacques called him back to land the next day to help with his investigation on you guys."

Quigley... hadn't told me that part in his tale... and now I know why.

Klaus and Sunny gave Fiona sympathetic looks while I felt a tad guilty. Our stories had been connected from the start and we didn't even know.

"Oh but please don't think I'm blaming you for it," Fiona pleaded, "It wasn't your fault, it's just how the story goes. Once we're all together again nothing else will matter."

We quickly switched the conversation to more pleasant topics, such as getting to know each other better. I could tell that Klaus and Fiona had already built a good friendship that was sure to last a long time. And once Fiona deemed it safe for us to leave, we put our helmets back on and made our way back through the grotto to the submarine once more.

When we got back inside the submarine we found Phil waiting for us with his usual optimistic smile. As Fiona had said, the captain was nowhere to be found which meant she was in charge. I didn't mind this outcome, it is her submarine. Klaus and I got out of dive suits before going to help Sunny with hers.

"Wait, don't let Sunny out yet," Fiona practically shouted.

"Why not," Klaus asked.

Fiona showed us that the spores of the Medusoid Mycelium had managed to get inside Sunny's helmet, and our poor sister was now coughing from the horrible poison.

"If you take off her helmet it'll spread and kill us all."

"We can't just leave her in there," I said frantically.

"You don't have a choice," Fiona said gently, "It must have taken us around 10 minutes to get back to the ship, so we've got just under an hour to figure out a cure."

Klaus and I looked at our poor sister worriedly and conceded to trusting our friend that she would help us no matter what.

And none of us noticed until it was too late that the Queequeg was getting swallowed up by a much bigger submarine; piloted by a man we knew and hated very much. Once the Queequeg was trapped inside, one of its portholes was broken open and Count Olaf climbed through it to make his "grand theatrical entrance."

As if Sunny dying wasn't bad enough, now we have to deal with Olaf again…

And this time we're on a time limit…

 **~End of Chapter**

 **I'm not going to use Olaf and Esmé's stupid evil laugh and please don't ask me to... It's funny to read and watch, but actually writing it sounds like torture.**


	65. Memory Lane Part 11

**Begin!**

 **~Violet's POV**

"At last after hours of searching I have finally found the Queequeg!" Olaf was in an unusually good mood this time around.

"Oh, will you shut up," I blurted out almost instantly.

"Violet telling someone to shut up is not very nice," Phil said.

"Believe me there's a lot worse I'd rather say to him," I muttered.

Olaf glared down at me from his position standing on the center table. "I don't have to listen to you Violet." He jumped off the table before he continued. "And what luck I have to find you Baude-losers as well! And it's not even my birthday!"

I could see Klaus rolling his eyes. I tried not to think about Sunny's condition.

Olaf then set his gaze on Fiona and stared in mild shock. "Well, do my eyes deceive me? The last time I saw you I was trying to throw thumbtacks in your cradle."

Fiona narrowed her eyes at him. "Get the fuck off my ship."

"Language child," Olaf replied.

"I'm not a child."

Olaf ignored the comment. He then went into a speech about how he was going to get us to tell him the location of the sugar bowl. I glanced at the clock; he was wasting our time. He then made a show of telling us that with us trapped inside his submarine we were at his mercy. And just like that, all of us were being taken out of the Queequeg onto his submarine. He immediately put Phil with all the Snow Scouts he kidnapped on Mount Fraught.

He led us through the halls and we had to listen as Carmelita tortured the Snow Scouts with her "singing" and tap dancing.

Fiona leaned over to us at one point and asked, "Does that girl really think gorgeous starts with M?"

"She's really dumb..." Klaus replied.

"I can see that... And I thought Quigley was full of himself..."

Olaf and Esmé had some conversation about how they've basically adopted Carmelita. (A match in heaven right there; I wouldn't be surprised if her parents didn't care because it gets her out of the house.) Although it is rather funny that Esmé forced Olaf to name his submarine the Carmelita. I guess he was outvoted.

Olaf led the four of us to a room on his ship and shoved us inside, muttering something about a family reunion before then slamming the door shut behind us. I kept my sister held close inside her dive suit as I could hear her coughing getting worse. But what I was focused on was the hook-handed man who was sitting at a table fussing with a deck of cards. He looked at us; more specifically he looked at only one of us.

"Fiona!"

"Fernald!"

And my worries about what I had discovered were proven true as the two awkwardly embraced. Klaus looked shocked that he somehow didn't figure it out. I handed Sunny to Klaus.

I pulled out my newspaper scrap and handed it to her. "Fiona, he burned down Anwhistle Aquatics."

Fiona stared at the paper in shock, "Fernald you didn't... you'd never hurt anyone."

"It was for a good reason." Fernald replied; his tone was more gentle and kind than we'd ever heard. He must be a different person for his family.

He told us everything about how Gregor Anwhistle was an unstable volunteer who thought the solution to the schism was to poison all the villains and defectors with the Medusoid Mycelium.

"I left because I was going to be ousted by the organization anyway for starting a fire. All I could do was say good-bye to you first. Our stepdad said I was crazy for going to such an extreme. No matter the reason I was labeled a murderer because Gregor died in that fire. But to me, the world's better off without such a sick man in it. That's how I lost my hands; they were burned so bad they had to be amputated. Sometimes people do bad things for good reasons and I'm no different."

"Was hanging our sister from a 30 foot tower in a cage for a good reason," Klaus asked, "Sunny was poisoned by those mushrooms, and you're working for the man who's stopping us from helping her!"

Fernald's expression changed at that. He looked legitimately worried for Sunny as he stared at her through her diving helmet. "The kid got infected?!"

Fiona nodded. "She has a half an hour at most to live."

"How close are you to finding a cure," Fernald asked.

"Close enough," Fiona replied, "But we need to get to my research. Please, Fernald, take us back to the Queequeg. Help me save my friend."

Fernald paused for a moment and looked at his sister thoughtfully. It would be some time before my siblings and I truly forgave this man for the things he put us through but tonight, we made an alliance we did not regret.

"If it's on the ship, then we're all in danger," Fernald said finally. "I'll help you."

"After everything you did to us," I started, "Why?"

"Because family looks out for each other," Fernald replied smiling at Fiona, "And I'd gladly lose both my hands all over again if it meant keeping you safe little sister."

He looked at us. "Besides I've been helping you from the start. Olaf told me to throw Sunny off Mount Fraught, I let her out instead. He told me to drop her cage from the tower; we were already at the play when he called me because I had let her out. He sent me to kidnap Duncan and Isadora and I did it, but I also tried my best not to hurt them for your sake. They got out with only small scratches. I saw you at the pep rally, I knew you were close. On Mount Fraught, I gave Sunny the sled you used to escape with your friend."

Klaus and I looked at each other in realization. "You helped us all those times? Why?"

"Because people in this world aren't either wicked or noble," Fernald said.

He then added, "And I've been done working for Olaf for years. When my family is involved, I work for my family."

He then used his awkward appendages to open the door and motioned for us to follow him out. He led us through the halls of the submarine quickly but carefully.

"By the way, Fiona I got your message from Quigley Quagmire."

Fiona perked up instantly, "Quigley kept his promise?"

"Promise," I said quizzically, "When did Quigley talk to you?"

"On Mount Fraught, he snuck over to me and told me a message from her that he was asked to give. Then he went back near Sunny's cage and disappeared over the waterfall until he showed up with you the next day."

Realization clicked in my head. "Quigley climbed the waterfall with me to get a chance to speak to you. He knew you were Olaf's associate all along."

"And you didn't try to stop him from leaving or rat him out to Olaf," Klaus noted.

"He said he was close to Fiona so I let him go..." Fernald looked at Fiona suspiciously. "Why did he say he was _close_ to you anyway?"

Fiona smirked but didn't reply. Though like most siblings, Fernald saw right through her.

"Is he your boyfriend?!"

"So what if he is? It's not like it's any of your business."

"It's every bit of my business," Fernald whisper-shouted, "I don't see you for 10 years and I come back and find that you have a boyfriend, and it wasn't the first thing you told me."

"I don't like how unbelievable you make it sound."

"It's not unbelievable, just not something I approve of. What did he do to you?"

"Nothing; I'm not stupid! Fernald, Quigley is a good guy and I like him a lot. And we're still together so your opinion does not matter here."

"Does stepdad know?"

"Yes he does and he even approves, he and Quigley get along perfectly fine."

Fernald huffed and said something about having a "talk" with Quigley once they are able to meet again.

Meanwhile, Klaus leaned over to me and softly said, "Wow, they really are brother and sister..."

I couldn't help agreeing with that statement. Eventually we came across the Snow Scouts once more and had to hear more of Carmelita's pathetic excuse for singing.

"How are we going to get past them," I asked.

"Fernald and I will distract them."

"You're insane," Klaus replied. "What makes you think they won't hurt you?"

Fiona pointed at Esmé, "That's Esmé Squalor; she used to be friends with our mother."

Fernald nodded. "And I've had this suspicion for years that she had something to do with mom's diving accident. I didn't much care for Olaf bringing her into the group; she's crazy. She doesn't seem to have recognized me though."

"I'll go out there with Fernald and once they're paying attention to us you sneak past and get to the ship. Klaus, the book you're looking for is called _Mushroom Minutiae_. The Medusoid Mycelium is on chapter 50. We'll stall them for as long as we can."

And so we put our plan into action. While Klaus kept Sunny close to him as we maneuvered around the enslaved scouts, we could see Fiona and Fernald talking to Esmé and Carmelita about things to keep them busy. So far it seemed to be working. We may have trouble trusting Fernald, but we did trust Fiona.

Once we climbed back into the Queequeg, Klaus hurriedly found the book he was told to use and we set to work on figuring out a cure.

"Is the dilution simple? But of course! Just one small dose of root of horse," Klaus read aloud after finding the correct page.

"Root of horse?"

I watched my brother's face as the possible answers to the riddle shifted through his mind. He then smiled at me, "Horseradish."

We spent some time searching through the Queequeg's kitchen top to bottom looking for the antidote but to no avail. Though we did find a birthday cake in the fridge that had my name on it and the sight almost made me break down crying.

"Sunny remembered my birthday..."

Klaus looked at our sister, sitting on the counter and coughing harder than before. She couldn't even talk at this point from the poison.

"We can't lose Sunny." I said fiercely. "Get her out of there and see if we can ask for her help."

We did exactly that. We covered our faces with cloth to keep from breathing in the toxic spores and we quickly secured them in the helmet once more so they couldn't spread.

"Sunny is there a culinary equivalent to horseradish," Klaus asked.

Sunny gazed up at us tiredly and wheezed, "Wasabi..."

While saying that she pointed down at the waterproof bag Fiona had brought into the grotto with us. I quickly opened it and found that they had indeed brought a jar of wasabi from Anwhistle Aquatics. We carefully fed our sister a spoonful, and took some ourselves just in case. Within moments Sunny was breathing easier again and we embraced to celebrate saving her life.

But as we did, something else happened we heard the telegraph machine on the main deck going off as it printed a Volunteer Factual Dispatch. I grabbed the paper and read it aloud.

 _Meeting at Hotel Denouement; Baudelaires I'll be waiting on Briny Beach._

 _-Kit Snicket._

"Quigley said he knew Kit because she's Jacques' sister," I said.

"So we need to meet Kit on the beach to get to the meeting," Klaus said.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere."

We turned and saw Olaf had found us. He was smiling evilly as usual and his shiny eyes were swirling with supposed triumph. Standing beside him was Fiona, who appeared to not be in any trouble whatsoever. She stared at us with a completely neutral expression. We saw no sign of Fernald, but we assumed he was waiting outside.

"I was about to throw your little friend here overboard for escaping my cell, but then she asked to be my new associate!" Olaf patted Fiona's shoulder affectionately. "Isn't that just wonderful?"

Olaf proceeded to make dramatic insinuations that we were hurt in many ways by this outcome. He even made an amusing suggestion that Klaus and Fiona were romantically involved, but he was the only one in this room who didn't know that claim was false. The only problem is that he looked on the floor and saw the diving helmet we had closed up to keep the mushrooms in. After looking inside briefly he figured out what it was and took it for himself.

"Why with the mycelium," He started, "I could end V.F.D. once and for all!"

"Are you insane?!" Fiona shouted almost instantly. "That is dangerous it needs to be disposed of properly, and without the cure it'll kill you too if you use it!"

Olaf sneered at Fiona for talking back to him. "If you're going to work with me, then you do as I say, you little bitch. Otherwise you'll cease to be useful."

He took the helmet and went to climb out the porthole window. But he looked at Fiona once more before leaving and said, "You know I remember the one time I fought against Samantha... I have a feeling you'd be easier to take down. That woman knew how to throw a punch; pity she was such a goody-good volunteer. And besides, you're stuck in here with me no matter what!" He chuckled evilly before leaving with his new weapon.

We listened as the sound of his footsteps disappeared before Klaus spoke.

"You're no Elizabeth Taylor, but that was a very convincing performance."

Fiona smiled at us. "You think he bought it?"

"Absolutely," I said, "I was this close to calling you a bitch!"

She laughed. "That would have been going a little far. Sunny is looking well did you figure out the cure?"

"It's horseradish, and anything with horseradish in it," Klaus replied. He showed her the jar of wasabi, "We took some ourselves just to be safe but the cure is very fast acting."

Fiona stuffed the jar into her uniform pocket. "I'll keep this in case he decides to poison everyone."

"Kit sent a telegram," I said, "She wants to meet us on Briny Beach so we can go to the meeting."

"I won't be going to the meeting, and neither will Fernald. I want you all to take the Queequeg and get out of here. Fernald and I will get this submarine away from Olaf to help Phil and those poor Snow Scouts. You can repair this porthole with a replacement cover from that cabinet over there once I'm gone."

Sunny and I set to work pulling out the materials we needed to fix the window while Klaus and Fiona talked.

"It'll be a while before we see each other again I can tell," Fiona said, "But let me promise you guys something right now: the next time you board the Queequeg the Quagmires will be waiting here for you with me."

"You're sure about that," Klaus said.

"Positive, I'll pick up the submarine from Briny Beach once we help those kids escape. And take care of it for me will you? It is my home after all."

"And Fernald, what will he do once this plan is finished?"

"He's going to come home so we can be a family again. It'll be hard getting Duncan and Isadora to forgive him, but he isn't going to stand by while Quigley and I are together. Even if our stepfather never comes back, he'll help me look after your companions for you, because you're my friends. And that's all the proof Fernald needs to be a better person."

Sunny and I couldn't hear the following part but I would later find out that Klaus very quietly asked Fiona a favor for when she meets Quigley's family for the first time. He wanted to pass on a private message to a certain poet he missed very dearly. And I did eventually find out that Fiona kept this promise.

Once Fiona turned to leave to stay with her brother, she said some final words to us, "Good luck and give Kit Snicket my regards; she's a good family friend, she'll protect you."

 **~Later... Fiona's POV**

"I'll deal with you later," Olaf said while shoving Fernald and I in a jail cell, "You two think about what you've done..."

Once he was gone I looked out the window of his submarine and saw the Queequeg escaping just as intended. The plan had worked, even if Olaf figured out that I let them get away.

"Time for phase two," Fernald said, picking the lock on the door with his hooks.

"And once we get to phase three, I'll be able to introduce you to Quigley," I replied smiling at the thought of my wonderful cartographer.

Fernald scowled at me, "He'd better be good to you, or else..."

"Oh please, Fernald, you're the cinnamon roll of this family; you wouldn't hurt him if you tried." With that, the two of us stepped out into the halls of the villains' ship and made our way to the main deck.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Made this a nice long part, and I'm thinking that the next one will be the last since I don't have much else to tell here. Hope you liked it!**


	66. Memory Lane Final Part

**Begin!**

 **~Duncan's POV**

Quigley's been staying on the home with us for a couple days now and there's still no word from the Baudelaires. And just yesterday, Hector showed us with his spyglass that Hotel Denouement, the last V.F.D. safe place, burned down. My siblings and I could only hope that some people were spared from the blaze. We had received a telegram calling volunteers for a meeting there, but Hector sensed danger and told us we wouldn't attend. Thank goodness he did because otherwise we might have been in that fire too.

I looked over at my siblings who were reading some books to pass the time. That was most all we did up here since we arrived. I think Isadora and I have read at least half of Hector's library by this point. But the books were necessary to us; we needed them to distract us from worrying about the Baudelaires. I didn't have that distraction right now. I wanted to think about Violet.

It was the sixth day after her coming to Prufrock that I plucked up some courage and asked her to go for a private walk with me after one of Nero's recitals. She accepted, and to this day we consider that our first date. I remember how it was actually kind of fun to sneak out together to be alone. Her siblings were unaware and we were only out for about 2 hours before heading back to sleep. We climbed the stairs up to the roof of the school and had our first kiss under the stars. We didn't even mind that we were almost caught by Carmelita while she patrolled the grounds. It was a perfect night.

Of course after we started our relationship, Isadora discovered it by accident, and promised not to tell anyone until we were ready to be open about it. Thanks to Carmelita, the whole school already thought Violet and I were dating so it wouldn't have taken long. If it hadn't been for Olaf showing up a couple days later we probably would have too. We had to postpone our secret interactions with him there... otherwise he would have found out sooner about the Baudelaires having strong allies at their new home.

I'll never forget the words Violet said when we kissed for the first time.

 _"Prufrock is a really shitty home, Duncan; nearly everything about it is awful on every level. But with you here... it's a home I'd be more than happy to stay in."_

 _"I feel the same way Violet..."_

I miss her. I miss her family too; Klaus is the best friend I ever had. He's also the only guy in the world that Quigley and I would trust with Isadora. And Sunny is a sweet, intelligent, kid who's going to do great things when she grows up. I wonder if she's learned to talk yet.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of our telegraph printing out a message. Hector stopped the ship for a moment and Isadora grabbed the paper to read it aloud for us.

 _To the Quagmire triplets,_

 _Kit Snicket tells me you're still on the hot air mobile home, and that you've recently reunited with your lost brother. Miss Snicket just left for a special mission to search for the Baudelaires. Just below you right now is a submarine called the Queequeg; and I give you permission to come aboard._

 _-Fiona Widdershins._

 _P.S. I miss you Quigley._

Quigley practically snatched the paper from Isadora, "Fiona!"

He then smiled at us, "How would you guys feel about going to stay on a submarine?"

"Well... we're not going to find the Baudelaires while we're living up here," I said. Though I could tell my brother was so excited about the prospect of seeing his girlfriend that he'd probably leave without us if he chose to.

"I think it sounds great," Isadora said, "And I want to meet the girl you won't shut up about."

"Then it's settled, we're going!"

Quigley used his spyglass to look over the side of the ship and saw that indeed the telegram was correct; a submarine was resting on the ocean's surface ready for us to board. He also noted the disappearing figure of a raft heading away from said submarine, which we assumed was Kit. Hector went to the helm and took the ship downwards so we could drop the ladder. Isadora and I didn't have much to pack, other than the clothes Hector gave us when we stopped for extra supplies. (He felt bad about us having only our Prufrock uniforms for so long while we were kidnapped.) And Quigley already had his own backpack full of things he received from Jacques Snicket.

Once the ship was low enough for us to start climbing, the three of us thanked Hector for taking us in, even though he hadn't needed to. He assured us he'd be fine on his own and hoped that we had a good life and future without him. And so the three of us climbed down with Quigley leading the way; within minutes we had all carefully situated ourselves on top of the submarine. We watched as Hector pulled the ladder up and drove back into the clouds.

Quigley eagerly knocked on the hatch. Instead of asking for a password, like he had told us happened in his survival tale, the hatch opened instantly. They really were expecting us. Quigley hopped onto the inside ladder first and we followed down after him.

I thought it was honestly funny that Quigley was so excited, but when I get to see Violet again I'll be acting the same way so I'm not one to judge.

Quigley dropped past the last 4 steps on the ladder and disappeared into the halls without waiting for us. Once Isadora and I reached the bottom we followed the sound of happy voices to what appeared to be the main deck of the ship. We entered the area and smiled at the sight of our brother tightly embracing a pretty girl with triangle-shaped glasses.

"My doll, I've missed you, my mycologist."

"I missed you too Quigley," Fiona said rubbing her eyes behind her glasses from happy tears, "I'm so glad to see you're ok. When Violet told me how you went down the Stricken Stream I just couldn't stop worrying about you."

Quigley grinned at her, "It was a rough ride, but I pushed through it. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that."

Fiona turned her attention to us after a moment and we finally got to introduce ourselves. I also noticed that we weren't alone in the room. There was an unfamiliar cheerful looking man with an amputated leg, who introduced himself as Phil, and another man with shiny, silver hooks for hands that we did recognize.

"You," Isadora said moving behind me, "You're the one who kidnapped us from Prufrock."

Fiona stepped between us, "I know this is going to be difficult to understand, but Fernald is my brother and I assure you he's had a change of heart."

Fernald nodded. "I left Olaf before he went to the meeting. I was done working for him and I'm not going to hurt my sister's... _friends._ "

I saw his gaze shift warily to Quigley. Apparently he didn't like the idea of our brother sharing such an "intimate" moment with her just now. I guess all older brothers are the same no matter which side of the schism they were on. I held back a snicker at Quigley taking a subtle step back from his girl.

"Fernald, we talked about this..."

Fernald didn't look pleased to be reminded of such things but he did lay off on glaring at Quigley for now.

"Where's your stepdad," Quigley asked, attempting to change the subject.

"He's on a mission; said he would be back in a few days." With that, Fiona told us to follow her downstairs to drop off our bags while submarine was started up by Fernald and proceeded back down in the ocean.

Once we reached a room with many bunk beds Fiona told us that she intended for us to stay here until we are with the Baudelaires again.

"So Kit knows where they are," Isadora asked.

"She said she had a theory but wanted to investigate first. We felt horrible letting her go off on her own, she's very close to having her baby..." Fiona looked worried for her friend. "But she's also a resilient volunteer. I've known her my whole life; she'll find them for us."

 **~Isadora's POV**

Fiona took me into an opposite room while my brothers changed. (She mentioned her stepfather will want us wearing uniforms while we live here, standard rules.)

"Before I let you change, I have something to give you." Fiona handed me a folded piece of paper from a notebook.

"What's this," I asked.

"When I helped the Baudelaires escape from Olaf, Klaus asked me to give you that. It's from his commonplace book. I swear I don't know what it says; he said not to read it because it's private."

I smiled, "Klaus wanted to give me a message?"

"He did, he speaks highly of you," She smiled, "It's adorable actually. Come back out when you're ready."

I felt my face get warm as she left the room. Klaus thought about me! I quickly changed into my comfortable new submarine clothes and then opened the paper.

 _Isadora,_

 _I don't know yet how I'm going to get this letter to you, but I'm writing it anyway in the V.F.D. headquarters on Mount Fraught. I just finished some very important research while Violet and Quigley are looking for Sunny. Yes, your brother is alive and well, and he misses both of you very much._

 _There's something I want to say and I don't know if I'll ever have another chance to say it so I'm going to ease my mind and do it this way. And if I can find some way to get this to you, then I'll do it without a second thought._

 _Isadora, I love you. I think I always have... But I was a fool who couldn't bring up the courage to tell you those feelings when I had the chance. I've never been particularly good at talking to girls... But you could probably tell since I could barely talk to you. And I've also never felt this strongly about anyone before. When you kissed me that night at Prufrock, I was so shocked that I was almost afraid to hope that you meant that kiss the way I wanted it to mean. But that hope is still there._

 _When we sent you up in the hot air mobile home, you said, "If we never see each other again..." I hate to tell you, but you're wrong my love, we will see each other again. It'll be a while, and we might be a bit older, but it will happen someday. You'll be with your brothers, both of them again, and I'll be with my sisters as always; and we'll be a joined family one way or another. The world will be quiet for us when we reunite, I promise you that._

 _I love you Isadora Quagmire, and I hope you're safe and happy wherever you are._

 _Until we meet again,_

 _Klaus_

I reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek. I love you too, Klaus Baudelaire, and you're right. We _will_ see each other again. I tucked the letter away in my pocket and went out into the hall.

Before I could say anything, Quigley and Fiona jumped apart from their "private moment" and avoided eye contact with me. Catching those two together definitely helped lighten my mood. Duncan joined us afterwards and we were told that we would be able to replace our destroyed commonplace books. Quigley said he remembered where they kept their supplies and took us with him while Fiona went back up to the main deck.

"So since we're going to be here a while," Quigley said as we walked, "I'll uh, keep the PDA to a minimum. You know for courtesy and all that..."

"I was avoiding walking out into the hall because I saw you guys together from the doorway and I was like, 'what can I do to postpone walking out there until it's over,'" Duncan said.

"Very funny," Quigley replied, "But seriously, we'll be discreet."

I laughed, "You need to be discreet because I'm pretty sure her brother will actually kill you if he catches you guys together."

Quigley's face paled. "That too... Fernald is uh going to be hard to win over..."

He eventually did get Fernald to warm up to him. My brothers and I spent a whole year living with the Widdershins family on their submarine. The captain came back after the first few days and was delighted to see we were together again. He even told us amazing stories about our parents' days in the organization and how they were good associates of his.

Quigley kept his promise to keep his and Fiona's couple interactions to only when they're alone together. On more than one occasion though, either me or Duncan would walk in on them; which was something they couldn't control. But it was nice to see Quigley committed to a girl, especially one who treated us with kindness too.

During my time on the ship, Fiona and I developed a strong, sisterly, friendship. Even if it annoyed Quigley because she told me about her oh so glorious pet name for him that he was adamant about us not knowing. I couldn't resist the opportunity to teasingly call him "Quiggles" whenever he needed to be taken down a notch. But I know my brothers better than anyone and I can tell he doesn't mind it when Fiona calls him that. Much like how she doesn't mind being called "his doll."

Phil was exceptionally kind to us too; he's seriously the nicest man I've ever met. Fiona even mentioned once that the reason he was hired was because he was so eager for the job. (And her family may or may not have unofficially adopted him...)

Fernald was a little hard to get used to at first. He was kind enough, but it sometimes felt like he was only putting on a show for his sister's sake. He was much more interested in ensuring that Quigley respected Fiona. (Which he did.) But after the first few weeks, we warmed up to him. He was actually quite nice once you got to know him. And he seemed genuinely interested in rebuilding his relationship with his family. And he did apologize for all the things that happened. Duncan and I got to know him enough to be able to say we forgave him. That fact seemed to make him very happy too.

Fiona told me her brother was actually a big softie, which was an appropriate description once we spent time with him.

But after that year passed, with us discovering things together and helping out around the ship, the day we had waited so long for finally arrived. It happened when the submarine was resting on the surface while the captain and Fernald were out getting us more supplies. Fiona told us that a small boat bumped into us, and in looking through our periscope she knew it was something we would want to see.

She opened the hatch and after some minutes of waiting we were greeted by little Sunny running into the room and hugging each of us.

"I'm so happy to see you guys," She shrieked excitedly.

"Sunny you've gotten so big! And you can talk," I said giving her a tight hug.

After a moment, Violet and Klaus joined us carrying some kind of basket with them. They set it on the floor before turning their attention to us.

"Duncan!"

"Violet!"

My best friend and my brother embraced very tightly. Once they forced themselves apart, Violet gave me a hug too. I smiled as Klaus and Fiona shared a friendly hug before I went to give him a much closer hug. God I don't know what to do... Klaus looked so handsome in his white linen outfit. And his hair is a little curlier than the last time I saw him. I can't wait to get him alone so we can "talk."

"What's in the basket," Quigley asked after we had all finished our happy reunion.

They looked a little sad but also happy to show us. Violet reached inside and gently picked up a tiny baby girl.

"Oh she's beautiful," I said. "Who is she?"

"This is Kit's daughter. She wanted us to name her Beatrice, after our mother because they were close."

"Then what happened to Miss Snicket," Fiona asked.

The looks on their faces were all we needed to know that we had lost another volunteer.

"At least she got to have her baby..." Quigley muttered softly.

"Fiona, you know Kit's family, does Bea have any living relatives," Klaus asked.

"Kit had two brothers, Jacques and Lemony," Fiona explained, "Lemony Snicket is very hard to contact though but she does have one uncle at least. Last anyone heard of him he was staying in a place called Stain'd By The Sea with his wife."

"That's wonderful," Violet said, "She has a blood uncle and an aunt by marriage. Maybe you'll meet them someday."

Violet then set little Beatrice down and told Sunny to take over watching her. With all of us together again, the only option left now was to get back to land to start our new lives together. Fiona had recently convinced her stepfather to let her leave the organization so she could have a life with Quigley, meaning she would come with us. Tomorrow morning the Queequeg would drop us off at Briny Beach to go do whatever we wanted until we were old enough to claim our inheritances.

I then noticed Violet and Duncan try to stealthily slip away so they could have a private moment. Not that it mattered because I don't think anyone was going to stop them. Quigley and Fiona took Sunny and little Beatrice with them down to the kitchen to try to find something soft for the baby to eat. My brother may be full of himself, but he's actually pretty good with kids. (A fact I'm sure didn't go unnoticed by his girlfriend...) This left me alone with Klaus at last.

"Um... Izzie?"

I smiled. I let everyone close to me call me that but it feels so much more special when he says it. "Yes Klaus?"

He avoided eye contact with me. "...I missed you..."

"I missed you too," I reached over and gently grabbed his hand.

He's so cute when he's all flustered. He blushed darkly behind his cute glasses.

With my other hand I reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter he had sent me. I kept it hidden from the others out of respect and never let it out of my sight.

He smiled that stupidly shy smile I loved so much. "You got my letter?"

I put it away before responding. "Yes I did. I read it countless times when I felt lonely and wanted to think about you..."

"So... you-"

I interrupted him by doing something I should have done ages ago. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He was stunned for a moment but then I felt his arms around my waist and kissed me back gently. His lips were so soft, just like I imagined so many times when I thought about my love for him.

When we did pull apart he looked like he was on cloud nine, and I'm sure I didn't look much different.

"I love you Klaus."

"I love you too Izzie." We kissed again, but deeper this time.

He had been right in his letter; one way or another, our families were joined now. Whether it was because Violet and Duncan were the ones who got married first, years later, or if it was because Klaus and I were finally together; either way made it true. But the best part is that I had both my brothers with me again and my brothers were with their soul mates. We wouldn't be separated ever again.

We weren't her blood relatives, but Beatrice Jr. would always have a pretty big family to take care of her.

 **~The End!**

 **I didn't know this story would go on for this long but it's done now! Yay! See you in the next one!**


	67. Consider the Following

**This isn't a one shot, but it's something I thought of today and I wanted to post it just to have something to post.**

Fiona seemed fairly unconvinced that her mother's death was an accident.

Esmé mentions that she has no problem taking Samantha Widdershins' ruby necklace because, "She was my friend she would have wanted me to have it." Despite Fiona being a "member of the troupe" in the scene and being disturbed at her taking it.

Consider:

Esmé Squalor and Samantha Widdershins were friends. They weren't "best friends," but they were fairly close. They had trust. Esmé was visiting Samantha on the Queequeg, back when Fiona was 4 & Fernald was 17. Scuba diving was very "In" at this time, making Esmé want to try it. The real reason she was there was because an associate tipped her off that the Queequeg was sent to fetch the sugar bowl from its hiding place in an underwater cave for delivery to Kit Snicket; who was going to move it to Heimlich Hospital.

Esmé convinced Samantha to let her dive with her for old times' sake; Samantha reluctantly agreed and this decision sealed her fate. Captain Widdershins didn't trust Esmé, but his wife did…

While Samantha retrieved the sugar bowl inside the cave's air pocket, Esmé tampered with her oxygen tank so she wouldn't have enough time to make it back to the ship. Samantha didn't notice, and drowned within minutes. Esmé, wanting to ensure it looked like an accident, retrieved her body and brought it aboard the ship; and used her sub-par acting to "grieve."

But before she could take the sugar bowl, Captain Widdershins took it for their mission and kept it safely from her while he and his stepchildren mourned their loss. The package was delivered to Kit as instructed; and Esmé had to run off to avoid capture just in case. Captain Widdershins blames himself for his wife's death, so he latches onto the notion that it was a true accident to ease his grieving mind, but Fiona and Fernald figured out the truth.

The tank was full when their mother left the ship: the only way it could have emptied so fast was sabotage.

Fernald always hated Esmé joining the troupe; for numerous reasons. She's demanding, obnoxious, obsessive, and completely insane; but most importantly he remembers what she did. Esmé didn't recognize him with his facial scarring from his hook-hands, and she had to be reminded who Fiona was by Olaf; because Fiona was so young at the time she didn't recognize her growing up. And Esmé has no reaction to being reminded that Fernald is Fiona's brother; despite knowing him over a decade ago, and seeing him before he became a fire-starter. She was very certain that the two had believed her "performance" in mourning over her friend that she killed; hence why she was so calm being reminded of their existence.

This is why Esmé was so unfeeling towards taking Samantha's possessions, once her old friend got in the way of her obtaining the sugar bowl: that was the end of their relationship. She became the enemy. And when Fiona and Fernald took over Olaf's submarine they made sure that their mother's necklace was safely returned to their possession; letting Esmé keep it was not an option.

And when the family, now whole once again, got the news from the organization that Esmé was confirmed dead in the Hotel Denouement fire they were all silently and secretly happy. Captain Widdershins felt like he could truly accept Samantha's passing, and Fernald and Fiona were relieved that their mother's spirit had been avenged, even indirectly.

To the Widdershins family: the death of Esmé Squalor was a long time coming.

 **Submitted for your consideration.**


	68. The End Part 1

**The kids are all 16; there's a reason too. That said, begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Sam's POV**

"I really wish you wouldn't do this..."

"Lily, I don't want to but if there's a chance it means he'll leave you alone then I want to take it," I replied.

"You'll get hurt!"

"I'll recover."

"You'll get in trouble!"

"I won't get caught."

Lily stared at me with concern in her hazel eyes. This morning on our way to school, she and I had been approached by Cameron Spats; an asshole who lives down the street from my family estate. Cameron has had this creepy attraction to Lily for a few years now and every time we run into him, which thankfully isn't often, he always asks her out or makes some perverted comments on her appearance. (Those comments have, um, increased since Lily "grew up" so to speak...) She always says no, and it's never going to change. Lily is smart, she knows he's an asshole, and doesn't tolerate that awful behavior. I don't know why he doesn't just take the hint and move on; I guess guys like him don't understand rejection. But when he met us today, he'd finally had enough.

He challenged me to a fight for Lily's affection!

I make it a... personal secret that over the years I've developed strong feelings for my lovely red haired friend. Her smile brightens up my day no matter how bad, her hazel eyes are beautiful and they're one of my favorite things to see, and her kind, caring, nature made me fall for her to begin with.

I hate the idea of guys like Cameron coming onto her. I don't believe she's owed to me, but I do believe she doesn't deserve to be disrespected. I need to do something about it. The two of us were walking through the park; it was relatively dark out here right now, to find him where he said we'd meet. I don't know if this is some kind of trick, but something tells me that Cameron isn't smart enough to plan something big ahead of time. The only reason Lily came too was so there'd be a witness in case he did something extreme. Not that I want her to get involved, it's just I'd feel more comfortable knowing she was there to step in.

And the next thing I knew I was tackled to the ground from behind by exactly the person we were looking for. I guess Cameron didn't want to waste any time. I struggled for a bit, but managed to throw him off of my back and already I felt sore.

"Glad to see you showed up!"

"Cameron that wasn't fair, he wasn't ready!"

"Shut your mouth bitch, we'll talk after I've won."

I quickly got up only to be almost punched, but I dodged it. My parents will kill me if I get too visibly injured here; I have to focus on not getting hurt instead of hurting him. He punched again; this one hit my shoulder. While trying to avoid getting hurt, I didn't notice Lily had disappeared. A punch hit my cheek and I could feel a small bruise forming. I don't think he was doing this for a girl, I think he just wanted to unload his own anger issues on me. Some people are just assholes. (No matter what my Uncle Fernald says about people having good and evil inside them.)

It was here that a small amount of blood trickled down my left arm. That bastard cut me with a switchblade! It wasn't a big cut, but it was deep enough to draw blood. But before I could retaliate with any kind of attack, Cameron was grabbed from behind by two sets of arms. Lily returned and stepped between me and Cameron. Since it was so dark I could only make out the headlights from a nearby police car that had showed up. I guess Lily wanted to stop us the hard way.

One of the officers was putting Cameron in handcuffs and the other turned her attention to us. "Your friend called us, saying you were in some trouble. How badly were you hurt?"

I showed them my arm. "He got me with a switchblade."

"Doesn't look deep enough for stitches," She said examining my cut. "You could bandage it up and you'll be fine."

The male officer was looking over Cameron with intrigue. "I know you. You're wanted for arson."

Lily and I looked at each other. "Arson?"

The officer nodded. "Last week a private school out in the Hinterlands burned down. A few people died, but multiple testimonies from surviving students said they saw a teenager fitting this boy's exact description start the fire. Looks like you have way more on your record than just public fighting."

Cameron made some choice swears under his breath in response as he was put into the police car. I looked at the female officer and noticed something in her pocket next to her holster. It was a spyglass... identical to the one in my Uncle Klaus and Auntie Isadora's office safe... This was no officer. She was a volunteer. Lily didn't know what that would mean, but I did. It meant that Cameron would never bother us again. V.F.D. would make sure of it. After all, my family is protected by them.

The woman seemed to notice me staring at her spyglass. She gave me a knowing look, but didn't comment on it.

"Miss, you're lucky you called us. Your friend here could have been seriously hurt," She said.

"Thank you for helping officers," Lily replied gently grabbing my other arm.

The male officer was standing at the car giving Cameron his rights. The woman gave us a curious smile. I think because of her work in the organization, she probably knows who I am. (After all aside from my slightly tan skin I look just like my dad.) She asked us for our full names and we gave them. I saw her nod slightly; she does recognize me.

"Ordinarily, we would take you both down to the station to have you report on what happened, but this is a 'special' case. Rest assured that this boy will be in jail for a long time. Make sure Mr. Quagmire gets patched up, and we'll be going now. We have a troublemaker to deal with." The volunteer got into the police car and the three of them drove off.

My suspicions on her being a volunteer were confirmed instantly because she drove in the opposite direction from the police station. I assume her partner was a volunteer too then. I figure they were taking him to a V.F.D. facility. As expected, none of us ever saw Cameron again... Good riddance.

"Sam, we should get you home."

I smiled weakly at her and she led the way back. The park was in walking distance from my home. Lily let me carry her leather jacket on my left arm to hide my wound, uncaring that it might get blood stains.

"That was weird wasn't it," She said, "What's a special case?"

I remembered my promise; V.F.D. was a family secret. "Just take her word for it, she's an officer. They know what they're doing."

Lily gave me a skeptical look before shrugging it off. "You have a small bruise on your cheek."

"That'll be tough to explain... hey Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for trying to help."

"You're welcome... you're my friend Sam. I care about you. I'm not the best at patching up people but when we get to your place I'll do something about your arm."

And she did exactly that. We got back to my house and saw my parents watching some movie together in the living room. They paid us no mind thankfully, and we went up to my room. (I'm allowed to have Lily in my room as long as one of my parents is home.) She immediately set to work on cleaning up my arm a putting a bandage on it. Lily was an aspiring marine veterinarian but she could do basic work on people too.

I watched her work with a smile. I love how gentle and attentive she is to all her patients. Until today, I didn't think I would be one of them technically.

"There. That should do it. I can't do anything about your cheek so you'll just have to convince your parents you got hurt some other way."

"I'll figure something out. I got hit in the shoulder too, but that doesn't hurt as bad."

We locked eyes and she smiled up at me. I've gotten a bit taller than her over time.

"Sam why do you always need to look after me," She asked.

"Maybe because I care about you and the thought of something or someone hurting you really scares me."

We both went quiet at that. I paid no mind to the fact that her hand was gripping mine, it felt nice but drawing attention to it might make her pull away. But she didn't. Instead after a brief silence, she stood on her toes and brushed her lips against mine. I kissed back without hesitation. I reached up with my other arm and gently grabbed the back of her head to pull her closer. Her lips were so soft, and I almost couldn't believe that I was finally kissing her.

When we pulled away I whispered, "I love you Lily..."

I saw a pink blush cross her freckled cheeks. "I love you too Sam..."

We kissed again; knowing that tomorrow we would go to school as a new couple instead of just friends. I don't know when I truly fell for her, or when she fell for me, but we loved each other, and we were finally together.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yay for Limuel! And yay for a final multi-part short story!**


	69. The End Part 2

**Part 2 begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Nikki's POV**

It's been 2 weeks since Sam and Lily finally started dating. I'm so happy for them! Though I know my cousin is going to have a tough time convincing Lily's dad that he's right for her; despite being close friends for a decade at this point. But I know the feeling, Lily, my dad and my uncles are super protective too. Not Uncle Trevor though, I think Aunt Sunny convinced him to be lenient about it. Of course there was a reason why I was thinking about such things.

I'm 16 and I'm still not allowed to date... at least according to my dad.

Mom doesn't mind, probably because she and dad got together at 15 back in the day. But I guess just because you did it doesn't mean you can't change your mind about it later. The thing is, junior prom is coming up soon, and I do technically have a date. My friend Drake asked me. (And even before they got together officially, Sam and Lily were going as each other's dates too) Mom and I talked Dad into allowing it on the grounds that I just wanted the experience of going to the party, rather than a romantic event.

Of course I know the truth: I intended to make it more than that. I've developed strong feelings for Drake. He's not only a musician, he's also a talented musical theatre guy, and he's very handsome and charming. I love his smile, and his blue eyes, and his messy black hair. He's also supportive and caring, and he's adorable when he gets excited about stuff. I don't know when I fell for him, but those feelings are here now.

And today he was doing some backstage work after school, while I was sitting in my house working on my art. Of course, since Drake wasn't going to avoid talking to me just because he was busy, we were texting each other during this time. (Thank goodness I wasn't working with paint this time.)

 _"So what are you up to Nik?"_

 _"Drawing a picture of you of course."_

 _"Ha, ok I'll take your word for it but I know you're joking."_

 _"You'll have to find out next time you see my sketchbook."_

 _"Right I'll remember that. I wish you were here to help out. Everybody else is just talking and I've already finished what I was told to do! I'm bored..."_

 _"You're talking to me, aren't you? Or is talking to me worse?"_

 _"No I like talking to you."_

 _"Thank you!"_

 _"But I do still only have you to talk to until we're dismissed."_

 _"I'll be happy to keep you company; you know since you're thinking about me and all."_

 _"Of course, I tend to always think highly of you."_

I paused when I read that. He thinks highly of me? Now I'm curious, what did that mean?

 _"You think highly of me? Why?"_

There was a pause before he responded. Maybe he was mistaken and wants to correct himself.

 _"Uh so what are you doing now?"_

He already asked me that. He's avoiding the question. Ok dig deeper and figure it out.

 _"The same thing I was doing before... you didn't answer my question..."_

 _"What question?"_

 _"I asked you why you think highly of me, Drake, please tell me!"_

He didn't reply for another few minutes. Part of me wanted to think that he was busy with something but another part of me said he was stalling to figure out an answer to the question. After several tense minutes of waiting, I got a reply, and I can't believe what I saw.

 _"Ok... the reason I think so highly of you is because... I have feelings for you."_

Did he just... oh my god! He feels the same way! Oh god if my mom wasn't down in her inventing studio right now I would squeal with joy.

 _"There... I said it..."_

I could practically see his face right now as he said it. He was probably a nervous wreck! But I knew my answer and I've never been happier to finally be able to say it.

 _"I feel the same way..."_

 _"You do?!"_

 _"Yes!"_

 _"You have no idea how happy that makes me... I wish I could have said it person though."_

 _"It makes me happy too, and I don't care... I've wanted to say it for a long time..."_

 _"I love you, Nikki."_

 _"I love you too, Drake."_

I sent him a few cute emojis with that, and he returned them. We made some plans for a proper first date, before our prom night plans. I told him I would be back because I was going to go tell my mom the news.

I went downstairs to find my mother working on some kind of machine in her studio. I got her attention and she set aside her tools.

"Need something Nik?"

I hope I wasn't smiling like a fool or that would have given it away. "So I have some news..."

"What kind?"

"Drake just asked me out... for real."

She blinked at me and smiled. "Finally, it's about time!" She then gave me a hug and said. "I'm so happy for you Nikki, he's a good guy and I know he'll treat you right."

"Thank you mom... so what do we do about dad?"

I saw her roll her eyes. "I'll handle your father. He's known your friend for the same amount of time that you have and I'm sure that you're perfectly old enough to make this decision. Duncan is stubborn but I'll wear him down eventually. But for now I need to get back to working on my project."

I nodded and went back to my room to continue my conversation with Drake. Tomorrow I would meet up with him so we could walk to school and have a proper first romantic meeting. We're together at last, and I had a feeling we were always meant to be. We've come so far since we met, but we're here now. I know my dad will accept him in time. I know the rest of my family approves of him as a person so they'll be happy for me too.

Now I just have to hope that Lizzie and Lucas can fess up their own feelings for each other on prom night…

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Yay for Drikki! And congratulations; you guys now know how my fiancé and I got together! It was a little altered for the characters' personalities, but the same confession-conversation happened in the same way and wording. The part about talking to Violet was not based on reality. One more part!**


	70. The End Final Part

**The finale! I hope I can make it a good one! Begin!**

 **Universe***

 **~Lizzie's POV**

"Mom, are you sure that I look good enough?"

"Yes, Lizzie you look great!" My mom finished straightening out my dress and then handed me my glasses so I could see myself.

We were all going to our junior prom tonight. Nikki and Drake were together, at last, and so were Sam and Lily. My family knows I don't like parties, they don't care much for them either, but I figured that the experience was worth it in the end.

I'm glad I'm going with Lucas, for two reasons, 1: he asked, and 2: I'm in love with him. He's the sweetest guy I've ever known and he's so handsome. He shares my love of reading and I love reading the things he writes as an aspiring author. I don't know how I'm going to tell him but I plan to tonight. One way or another, it's happening.

"Looks like you have everything," Mom said, "Do you like how you look?"

I adjusted my glasses and stared at my reflection. She had done my make up for me. I kept it simple because I like it that way. My black hair was straightened to perfection; my simple, but elegant, blue dress matched my glasses. I hope I looked beautiful enough for Lucas.

"Lizzie, you ready?" We heard my dad call from down the hall.

"I guess that means your date is here to pick you up," Mom said smiling knowingly at me.

I followed her out into the hall where my dad and Lucas were talking. Lucas looked so handsome in his suit; he hadn't made much effort to tame his messy dark brown hair. He smiled that wonderful stupidly shy smile that I loved when he looked at me. After several standard pictures were taken of us, because there was no way my mom was going to let that go, I finally got to ask him what he thought of me.

"How do I look," I asked nervously.

"Different. Which is good! Good different... uh are you ready to go?" I could see Lucas blushing behind his glasses.

I smiled, "Yeah I'm ready to go." I don't know why, but I swear my parents had strange looks in their eyes when he answered me.

I took his arm and we went out the door to join the others to head out for our fun night.

Going to prom is a strange experience. Everyone thinks it's magical when the reality is that it there's too many people, all clumped together in the center of the gym like some sort of nucleus of a cell, the music is so loud it gives you a headache after half a second of hearing it, and to top it all off it's _never_ going to be music you actually listen to. But I watched my cousins dance with their loves to the side of the crowd where there was more room, with Lucas sitting beside me, and we were having a fine time anyway. It's not that I didn't know how to dance, I just preferred watching. We all already got our prom pictures taken; our parents requested them of course.

Lucas and I were talking, as much as we could over the deafening music, about some of our most recent reading material we've found. I didn't even notice Nikki and Drake disappear from the area. It was an hour into the night that the music finally slowed down to an instrumental tune, which was much better than what had been playing.

Lucas offered me his hand, like the perfect gentleman he is, and asked if I wanted to dance with him. I took his hand, I could feel my face get hot, and found a spot away from everyone to dance together.

"I didn't know you could dance," I said.

"My mothers made me learn," He replied shyly, "Said I'd need it someday."

"Looks like they were right..."

We kept our eyes locked, my wide brown eyes with his handsome green ones. Is this what it feels like to be truly in love? It was as if we were the only two people in the room. All that mattered was him and me.

"Elizabeth?"

I blinked. He didn't usually call me by my full name; "Yeah?"

I saw him struggle for a moment to say what he wanted to say. He was so cute when he was all flustered.

"I... um... I really do think you look beautiful. But I also think you look beautiful no matter what." He blushed darkly as he stammered through his words. "Since I have the opportunity I wanted to say something... I've wanted to say it for a while now..."

"And what is it?"

He took a shaky breath. "I... I love you, Elizabeth. I don't know how long I've had these feelings, but you're the light of my life and you're the most wonderful girl I've ever known and nothing would make me happier than for you to be my girlfriend."

I could feel myself smiling at each word of that confession. It was everything I could have ever hoped for since I realized I was in love with him.

"I love you too, Lucas."

"Really?"

"Yes..." I thought about kissing him but then I remembered our location. "Um, do you want to maybe find somewhere to be alone... so we can talk...?"

He gently gripped my hand and led me out the gym doors. The school hallways were empty since everyone was at the dance. We went down the hall and stopped when we saw something we hadn't been expecting.

"Nikki; Drake?"

My cousin and her boyfriend quickly pulled apart from their own "private moment" and looked embarrassed at getting caught.

Nikki smoothed down her black hair and smirked at us holding hands. "I'm sorry were you two looking for a place to be alone too?"

"Drake, you could have taken her somewhere else, because that's my locker," Lucas replied addressing his friend and ignoring the question.

"Oops... sorry."

Nikki leaned over to me and whispered something. I nodded and started leading Lucas away from the two so they could go back to their own activities. Nikki had told me that the area just outside the school was perfect for us to be alone. After all, we had a lot to talk about with just the two of us, together at last. And I wouldn't have it any other way. We've come so far since we met, but we're here now and that's all that matters.

 **~Elsewhere... normal POV**

While Nikki, Lizzie, and Sam were at their special prom night with people they loved, their family members were all out for a private family dinner at Sunny and her husband Trevor's restaurant. The place had been closed for a special family dinner between the four couples. It wasn't necessarily a special occasion, but having them all together made it special enough. Sometime into their dinner, they paused to listen to a short but simple speech from Duncan.

"It's wonderful to have all of us here together, especially with Sunny and Trevor, I know your work keeps you two busy but it's always nice to have you around when you're able. Tonight our kids are out having their first and only prom night, and I can't help thinking that's come a bit earlier than I had hoped." Duncan kept a bright smile as spoke. "But I just want to say, no matter how much has troubled us in the past, each one of us here has gone through hardship in our lives in some way. We've all been unlucky at some point. What I want to say is, even after all our strife, we're together now. And that makes us a very fortunate family after all."

"You and your speeches Duncan..." Quigley replied, totally ignoring the fact that he had shed a tear.

"Oh, shut up Quigley, he's right," Violet said, putting her arm around Duncan.

"Right, and better looking than you," Duncan said addressing his brother with a smirk.

Quigley scoffed, "As if."

"Ladies, please you're both pretty," Sunny said rolling her eyes. She turned her gaze to her husband, "Trev, this is what I've had to live with for pretty much my whole life."

"I can see how that would get on your nerves," Trevor replied.

Duncan and Quigley were about to retaliate, but Fiona interrupted them.

"No Sunny, you're wrong: this is what Violet and I have to deal with." She said gesturing to her sister-in-law.

"Either way, big brothers, we all agreed that of the three of us, I'm the best looking one," Isadora said.

"Well Izzie, you are the best looking triplet," Klaus started, "Maybe I'm extremely biased, but if I might make a counter argument to your brothers: honestly I'm better looking than both of you."

Duncan and Quigley stared at their brother-in-law in shock as everyone else laughed at that amazing comment. The eight of them spent the rest of their dinner happily sharing stories, laughing at each other, and making this a night to remember.

Duncan had been right in his speech, and everyone agreed; they were a very fortunate family indeed.

 **~The End!**

 **Yay for Luzzie! And that's it! Guys, I'm sad to see this book end, but I'm afraid I'm tapped out. I've written so much and I am done at last! But I'm so happy to contribute so much to this fandom.**

 **For my Dunclet, Kladora, and Figley ships are my life and even though I won't be writing for them anymore, I hope that I've helped people see the joy that they bring me and I will always love them. So let's raise a glass to the ships, my OCs, the DKF Mafia, and the series in general. I hope you enjoyed these one shots and my other stories as much as I enjoyed writing them. *raises my soda glass***

 **Thank you for reading!**


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